Winged Destinies
by Crystal Twilight
Summary: Discontinued In a world of darkness... There was a decision... To change the past for a better future... Remember to live for the moment... Before it slips through your grasp... The sequel to Wings of an Angel...
1. Broken Hearts

Disclaimer: If I owned Esca, you wouldn't be reading this cuz there'd be no need for these billion V/H fics... Any original characters are of course MINE! God I wish I owned Van, Dilly, Folkie, the Dragonslayers, Naria, Eriya, and EVERYONE else except Allen, King Aston, the stupid council dudes who dress in retarded clothing, Mr. Mole, Zongi, and all the other obnoxious characters. (Sorry Allen fans, I'll TRY I'll REALLY TRY not to bash him, it's sooooooooooooooo hard when you dislike him...)   
  
A/N: To those of you who didn't read the summary THIS is the sequel to my other fic, "Wings of an Angel," so if you're here without having read it, GO READ IT NOW! And I PROMISE, this fic WON'T be sooooooooo long... Hello loyal readers and those of you out there who hate my guts and want me to go away and let you be. Yes, I decided to start the sequel ALREADY cuz I'm here and I'm bored and I just felt like starting it since I began writing it in Pre-Algebra, even though I wasn't supposed to... I'm having a writer's block for my other fics, but y'know I have to finish them, so this might come up slowly... I'll explain the characters as I get to them, if you're confused or have a question about something, feel free to ask. I LOOOOOOOOOOVE reviews and emails! SO, please remember to review it when you're done. Thanks! ^_^ Oh yeah, this first chapter is dedicated to my friends: Nagi, Washu, la_baby, fanilia, waterfiregirl, angel (From animeshack), hell (Dilandau's Girl), and Phantom Angel. And a special birthday wish goes out to Washu-Chan whose birthday was last week, thanks for being patient about my stupidity! All who write good fics and keep me wanting to write mine! Oh yeah, and what other genre do you think I should classify this in, I'm not sure... Thanks everyone! * Smiles brightly*   
  
Winged Destinies   
  
Chapter 1: Broken Hearts   
  
Hitomi and Van touched down in front of the Fanelian castle. It was in shambles. The blue roof had various holes, with many shingles missing, the walls left standing were crumbling, the gardens lay dead and wilted, the water flowing through them a mucky green. The village was in no better shape. The sky was gray as if reflected the solemn place they were at.   
"Why'd they have to go and destroy this beautiful country?" Hitomi asked sadly.   
"We have nowhere to go until the castle is rebuilt."   
  
"Don't worry Hitomi, we'll figure something out." Van reassured her.   
  
"Did I ever say I doubted you?" She asked teasingly, kissing him gently.   
  
"MILORD?!" A surprised, yet gruff voice called out.   
"Oh Milord, it's you, it's really you! You're alive!" A council member cried out in glee as he sprinted over to the lovers.   
"I'd recognize that unruly mop of your anywhere!"   
  
Van looked a bit angry that someone had just dissed his "untamable" hair.   
"It's good to see you too Kirus, I wasn't aware that I was dead. This is a new revelation." He looked thoughtful.   
  
Kirus just then noticed the woman standing beside his lord.   
"Oh forgive me Milady, my name is Kirus Martinov. I am a member of Lord Van's council." He bowed before Hitomi who not used to such formality blushed.   
  
"It is a pleasure to meet you Kirus." She replied, making a clumsy curtsy, unsure of what his official title was.   
'I know the titles: Lord, Master, Sir, Princess, King, Prince, Duke, Sergeant, Commander, and General are common, but what do you call an advisor?'   
  
Kirus seemed unfazed by her fumbled attempts to be polite and moved back to talking to Van.   
"Where have you been all this time Van-Sama? We've been worried ever since you disappeared like that in that bright column of light. Merle seemed the most upset of course."   
  
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Van replied, looking frustrated.   
"We were reunited with Merle, but I failed to alert the people of my survival. I truly do apologize if I've caused you such concern."   
  
'Van sure isn't out of practice with speaking like a king, considering he only got to rule for a few minutes before his country was demolished. Poor Van. I wonder what he was like as a kid, before the war, and his family's deaths occurred. Heck, maybe he never got to be a child. How sad...' Hitomi looked at her fiancé who looked more dignified than ever before, despite the sadness that no doubt daily tore at his soul.   
'He must be carrying so much pain inside, I wonder how he bears it.' She decided to make it all better, and wrapped her arms around his neck, as he turned his head to meet her lips.   
  
Kirus's eyes popped out of his head, as he gaped at this strange lady kissing King Van.   
"Sire, what is the meaning of this?!" He asked in confusion.   
"To be flirting with a woman in such a manner! It's not suiting for a King of Fanelia!"   
  
Van's face turned as red as his shirt and Hitomi couldn't help but laugh. She started rolling on the ground, tears welling in her eyes.   
"NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! YOU MADE HER CRY!" Van emphasized in anger, drawing his sword.   
  
"Van... It's Ok..." This was hard to get out, she couldn't stop laughing, this whole situation was just priceless, and she hadn't laughed in a good long time.   
"It's... just... so... funny..." This set her off into another peal of laughter and Van and Kirus looked quite bewildered.   
  
"You still haven't answered my question." Kirus commented, glaring at Van.   
  
'My fiancé's finally lost it, and one of my most annoying council members survives to haunt me in my late teens... Man, AM I cursed...'   
He sighed in frustration as Hitomi continued to roll about, giggling like she'd completely lost her mind, Kirus looked quite baffled as he kept looking back and fourth between the two.   
  
"Jeez Van, you need to laugh more." Hitomi said, regaining her composure as she stood up and brushed off her uniform.   
"It feels so good to laugh again." She smiled at him, and then realized they both had some explaining to do.   
  
"Kirus..." Van began, taking hold of Hitomi's hands in his.   
"This is my fiancé, and future Queen of Fanelia. Hitomi Kanzaki, the seeress from the Mystic Moon."   
  
Hitomi liked the way that sounded. 'The seeress from the Mystic Moon,' had seemed to become her title and although it first it had angered her to be introduced so wherever she went, considering how cursed Gaeans thought her home planet was, she now liked it. It was a title of great respect, since so few could see the future on this strange planet.   
  
"T-The M-Mystic M-Moon?" Kirus stuttered, stepping backward. He tripped over a protruding rock and fell to the ground.   
"Stay back, I don't want to be cursed!" He wailed, as he scooted backwards, still on the ground.   
  
"This rudeness will end right now Kirus." Van yelled angrily.   
"She's GOING to be MY wife, and YOUR future queen, despite those old wives' tales, so I'd get used to the idea if I were you."   
  
"B-But Lord Van, it's in the Fanelian law scrolls. You MUST marry someone of royal blood."   
  
"I've never seen that law." Van snapped back.   
  
"'Section 5, Verse 22: Henceforth the reigning king of Fanelia shall marry a woman of royal heritage to keep the bloodlines cleansed. Disobeying thus said law may result in banishment of the throne and a new ruler for Fanelia established." Kirus quoted, the council was supposed to know all the laws and he had obviously he had done his homework.   
  
"This can't be!" Van hissed, grunting in fury.   
  
"I'm afraid so Milord."   
  
"Then explain how my father and mother became husband and wife." Van interjected, waiting for an explanation.   
  
"Those were 'special' circumstances. Your father wouldn't budge; he threatened to kill himself if we didn't allow him to marry her. When we denied his request he married her in a secret ceremony. We were thickheaded and didn't see it. Then Prince Folken was born and we realized what had happened. We proclaimed her queen of Fanelia to avoid an angry kingdom. From that day on, we swore to never let the king get away with it again, it truly was a messy affair to handle."   
  
"But can't you see how much I love her?" Van asked in a desperate tone, as he gestured at Hitomi. Hitomi looked very disappointed, but her cheeks were red as well.   
  
"I'm sorry Van-Sama that I cannot abide by your wishes. I'm simply doing what's best for Fanelia. I will begin to search for a suitable wife for you." It was just then that Hitomi ran off in tears, but this time they weren't tears of laughter.   
  
"How DARE you?!" Van screamed at the advisor as he chased after her.   
  
"Don't worry Master Van. If indeed you are destined to be together, the gods will see to it." Kirus's blonde hair blew in the cool breeze, his blue eyes shimmering. You must remember dear readers; not everything is as it seems...   
  
A/N: Interesting? Or does it suck already? I was bored, so I began this. I REALLY would like reviews saying you liked it, but if you completely hate it, comments please, no flames. Sorry that was so short, I just wanted it as an introduction, the others will probably be much longer, and it'll be better written than "Wings of an Angel," since I'll have more experience. What's the deal with Kirus? Will Van and Hitomi end up together after all, or will Hope's words of warning to Daren come true? Find out in the next chapter of "Winged Destinies"... But there won't be a next chapter if I don't get any reviews, soooooooooo REVIEW! I don't mind suggestions; this is for all you V/H peeps so I don't want you to hate it! Thanks! Later! ^_^   
~Trunks Gal~   
  



	2. Inner Emotions

Disclaimer: 

Disclaimer: 

"Code of Conduct for Fanfiction Writing" 

A bible for the fanfic obsessed by I. Write 

Chapter 10; Section 5; Verse 9: Thou doth not own the series thee its writing of. If thee does than thou art free to claim it as thy own. All characters of creative background thy doth own and no one person may take them from thee. 

(Translation: I don't own Esca, the original characters are MINE!) 

A/N: Well, before wfgirl kills me, here's the next chapter. I of course wrote this during Pre-Algebra when I wasn't supposed to, but what my teacher doesn't know won't hurt her. This chapter is once again dedicated to all my friends, especially one of my best friends Washu who turned thirteen a couple weeks ago. Hope you all enjoy, PLEASE REVIEW!!! Thanks! ^_^ 

Winged Destinies 

Chapter 2: Inner Emotions 

Hitomi's hot tears splashed upon the mossy ground. Gradually it began to heavily rain. 

"Perfect." Hitomi muttered as she continued to sprint away. 

`All my dreams. They're crashing down around me. No Van, all thanks to that stupid advisor.' 

She pounded her fists against a heavyset oak tree, but it refused to budge, it was forever firm. For some reason, it made her feel slightly better. 

`Van is just like that tree. I just know he won't change his mind.' She breathed a sigh of relief and sniffed, wiping away her salty tears. 

Two large yellow eyes met hers and she screamed in terror falling off the log she was perched on. 

"Oh, it's you Natal, what are you doing out here?" She stroked the owl's smooth white feathers. 

"I bet Allen's worried about you." 

"I've got nothing better to do. I'm homeless, friendless, and husbandless. I'll help you get home." 

The owl hooted as if to say, "Thank you." 

"You're very welcome I'm sure." Natal perched on her shoulder, coming softly in her ear. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Hitomi, where are you?" Van called out into the dark, gloomy woods. 

`If something happens to her I'll never forgive myself.' 

"I promised that I'd protect her. So far I've failed in keeping that promise." 

"Maybe it's a lucky thing for her we couldn't be married, I'd make a lousy husband if I can't even care for her for five minutes without her getting lost." He sighed in frustration, but then remembered the pendant. 

"Where are you Hitomi?" He then saw her smiling face, green eyes sparkling, the pendant swung to the right. 

"Ah, to the east then." Van dashed off in that direction following her shoe imprints in the dirt. 

After running for a while, he slumped onto the ground to catch his breath. 

"This is harder than Hitomi makes it look." He panted, before snapping his head around, feeling that something wasn't right. 

"Who's there?!" He barked, pulling his sword from its sheath. 

"You wouldn't kill a defenseless woman, would you my King?" An old, wrinkled, gypsy woman emerged from the shadows, supporting herself on a crutch. 

"H-How d-do y-you know that?" Van asked, his sword shaking in his hands. 

"I know more about you than you think." She said, giving him a toothless grin. 

"Your name is Van Slanzar de Fanel. You are the King of the fair kingdom of Fanelia. Son of King Gaou de Fanel and Queen Varie de Fanel. You're pilot of the Ispano guymelef Escaflowne that you made a blood pact with. A friend and ally of Allen Schezar, you are a skillful swordsman and guymelef pilot. Since you were a small child, you have been the best of friends with the catgirl called `Merle.' Your sword master, Balgus, a samurai of Fanelia, died protecting you when Zaibach attacked your country. Rival of Dilandau Albatou, you killed his Dragonslayers, all 15 of them, not to mention the dogman named Jajuka. Folken Lacour de Fanel is your older brother, who betrayed your country, but died to redeem himself in your eyes. You are deeply in love with Hitomi Kanzaki, the girl from the Mystic Moon that came to Gaea several months ago against her will after you slew the dragon for the rite of becoming King. You became extremely jealous of Allen when it seemed as though she cared for him more than you. The Fanelian council is pestering you to marry although your heart belongs to her, but they refuse to accept her as Fanelia's Queen. Your heart is broken, I can see it, it has suffered far too much for a boy of 15 years. I truly pity you." 

"Save your pity!" Van spat. 

"For someone more deserving." 

"For I am a king of Fanelia, I will not be broken so easily." 

"Ah, beware young king. For your stubbornness and pride will lead to your downfall. And may cost you the one you hold dear." 

"What do you know about Hitomi?" Van asked urgently. 

"Where is she now?" 

"All in good time Milord, all in good time. Perhaps you would like to know more about the young lady you are courting, ne?" 

"I guess so." Van mumbled. 

"Ah yes, Hitomi Kanzaki. A resident of the country called Japan on the Mystic Moon. Her best friends are Yukari and Amano. She was deeply in love with his Amano boy, and Allen reminded her so much of him, she fell in love with the gallant knight of the heavens. She left behind her parents and little brother, her parents are divorced, so she and her brother spent weekends with their father and the rest of the week with their mother. Her grandmother died a few months before she came to Gaea, that is how the pendant came into her possession, when her grandmother was on her death bed it was given to her as a parting gift. She is a fairly smart girl, doing well in school, and is quite talented at track. Now Lord Van, this next part you don't know, and you MUST NOT tell Lady Hitomi, for it could change the course of history. She is a Draconian, a descendant of Atlantis, just like yourself Lord Van. For some reason or another, she never discovered her true form, and her mother and grandmother never revealed it to her. That is the reason she has her tarot abilities and can see the past, present, and future. Her emotions are all mixed up, she doesn't know what to think anymore, nothing's how she had pictured it would be. The only thing she's sure of is that she loves you. She cares about you so much, if necessary, she'd die for you. Her true desire is to marry you and be with you forever Lord Van. And she's determined to stick to her goal at all costs. Van-sama, never have I seen such blind devotion as that which she has for you, you're very lucky, don't lose her so easily." 

She began to amble away when Van called out to her, "You. Woman. What's your name?" 

She slowly turned around, her cerulean eyes looking into the depths of his very soul. 

"I cannot tell you my true name, for it would endanger you. You may call me Lady Hiraki." 

"I thank you, milady. Is there any chance you could tell me where Hitomi is?" He asked hopefully. 

"I'm sorry Master Van, but I cannot tell you that, for it could very well alter fate. I must leave you now, but remember, never give up on your dreams, because they will always come true." And with that, she disappeared into the silent blackness that was night. 

Van was quite agitated at this point, so he continued plodding onward, unsure of what lie ahead of him. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Natal suddenly sunk her claws into Hitomi's bare flesh. 

"Ow! Natal! Bad owl!" She hooted in a hoarse, raspy manner, her pupils dilated, her head spinning around wildly. 

"Is something out there?" Hitomi asked, looking into the depths of the woods. She gasped, feeling a hand on her shoulder as she spun around causing Natal even more alarm. 

"We seem to keep running into each other, now don't we Hitomi?" A familiar voice greeted her warmly. Stepping into the patch illuminated by the moonlight. 

"Allen, it's you." Hitomi gasped. 

"Yes Milady. I, the gallant knight of Asturia have come once again to save a fair lady in distress. This time is happens to be you again." He grinned and whistled. 

Two horses ran over to them, whinnying wildly, nostrils flared. 

"Oh, they're beautiful." Hitomi murmured stroking a dapple-gray horse's muzzle. 

"That's Azure. This horse," He pointed to a midnight black steed, "Is Mito." 

"May I have Azure?" Hitomi asked politely. 

"Of course, I believe she suits you. Now tell me Hitomi, what are you doing out here, we all thought you'd gone home." 

"Well I was headed home, but then Van proposed to me and I said yes. Then an advisor showed up and spoiled it and I ran off like a spoiled little child who didn't get her way. I found Natal an hour or so back." 

"Sounds like you've had a traumatizing day." Allen commented. 

"Tell me about it." Hitomi replied as she spurred Azure forward. 

"So Allen, how did you find me?" 

"I was just patrolling this area. You were indeed very lucky you were where you were or you might've never been found." 

"I don't FEEL very lucky." Hitomi whispered under her breath as they continued riding off into the night. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Lady Hiraki, do you think it was wise to do that?" The blond-haired man asked her. 

"I just couldn't bear to see him suffer like that." She stated emotionlessly. 

"Getting soft in your old age, ne?" 

"I always was a kind person, it's not a recent development Kirus." 

"How much longer are we going to be here then?" Kirus asked impatiently. 

"We won't be leaving until the future is secure." She replied calmly, taking a sip of tea. 

"But Lady Hiraki, that could be months, years even! Are you sure it's wise to plan like that?" 

"Yes, I'm sure, don't you understand the importance of our task Kirus, or are you blind?" 

"I know how vital this is, but aren't the gods worrying a BIT too much?" 

"Don't question them, or you'll find yourself at their mercy, I've learned that the hard way." 

"Yes, I know how much you suffered, I just want to go home, and I'm sure you do too Lady Hiraku." 

"Stop calling me that! My name is…" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

A/N: Ooh! CLIFFHANGER! MWAHAHAHA! I'm sorry, I KNOW that was short, but I just wanted to get his up. I'll either add to this tomorrow or start an EXTRA long chapter when I get the chance. Hope you like it so far. Review when you're done! Thanks! Ja ne! ^_^ 

~Trunks Gal~ 

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 0.6.7 -->


	3. Promises

Disclaimer: * Goes insane * IF I OWNED ESCA DO YOU THINK I'D BE HERE RIGHT NOW?!?!?! I KNOW I DON'T AND YOU SHOULD TOO! Psychologist guys: It's OK, we're here to help! Me: AUGH! LEAVE ME ALONE! * Screams bloody murder as they carry her away *   
  
A/N: Hey, I'm actually making a little progress in this fic, YAY!!! I hope you've been enjoying this so far, YAY! I ALREADY HAVE seven REVIEWS!!! If you are confused or have any questions ask and I will answer. Man, school is the 6-letter word for torture. I swear, they wish for us to have no social life whatsoever in Jr. High, even when we're at home we're doing schoolwork. It's so sad. But, luckily this month we get a few days off for Thanksgiving, Teacher's Institute, and Parent/Teacher conferences... THANK THE LORD!!! Enough of my endless babbling, on with the fic! ^_^; (And review when you're done!!!)   
Omae wa ore no mono da sonomama- I THINK this means, "You belong to me now," If I'm wrong, please correct me.   
Zutto- Forever   
  
Chapter 3: Promises   
  
"How far are we from the castle Allen?" Hitomi asked as they tumbled over the rough terrain.   
  
"We'll be there... Now..." Allen proclaimed, parting the branches of a weeping willow to reveal the beautiful city of Palas, capital of Asturia.   
  
"It's so beautiful..." Hitomi muttered, admiring the seaside city's magnificence.   
'But it'll never be Fanelia.' She reminded herself wistfully.   
'It'll never be that beautiful valley protected by dragons. Home of the boy who captured my heart.'   
  
"I know it's no Fanelia. But it'll do, don't you think?" Allen had seemed to read her thoughts as he grinned at her boyishly while she blushed.   
  
"Allen... I..." Hitomi muttered, not wanting to hurt her friend's feelings.   
  
"It's alright. I understand how you feel about Van. You know how much he loves you." Allen replied in a knowing tone.   
  
"I guess he does. Or, that's what HE says. I hope he's alright." She looked off in the direction of Fanelia, where the raven-haired boy was waiting for her.   
  
"Just promise me something, alright?"   
  
"What is it?" Hitomi asked, dreading the answer.   
  
"Promise me that you'll marry him, no matter what happens, you won't leave him again."   
  
Hitomi smiled in relief.   
"Sure, I promise."   
"It'll be nice to see the others again, even if we've only been separated a day or so." Hitomi commented as they rode onward.   
  
The Asturian marketplace was back in full swing just like it was before Dryden and Millerna's wedding. Obviously, the people had been undergoing serious construction since the last time she'd seen it. Eager Asturian merchants screamed out descriptions of their goods, looking for buyers. Small children ran about the streets, playing tag, running into the wealthy with bulged moneybags who cursed at them as the children giggled, dashing away before they were caught and punished. A familiar laugh echoed towards them as Hitomi turned around, hoping it was who she thought it was. Her hopes were confirmed when the blonde princess jumped off her steed to stand before them, beaming happily.   
  
"Hitomi! My friend! What are you still doing here?" Millerna asked curiously.   
  
"Well... I..." Hitomi stuttered, not sure what to say.   
"Oh Millerna." She sobbed, falling into her friend's embrace.   
  
"What's wrong Hitomi?" Millerna asked in concern, not used to public displays of emotion.   
  
"It's Van..."   
  
"Has he not been treating you right? Tell me Hitomi, I'll have Allen teach him a lesson he won't forget!" Allen looked rather uncomfortable at this and slowly began to back away from the two girls.   
  
"Well, I want, I want to marry him." Hitomi mumbled.   
  
"That's a high ambition Hitomi. Have you even asked him how he feels about you?" Millerna, having no knowledge of Van and Hitomi's experience when she was trapped in Zaibach, was sure her friend was about to be heartbroken.   
  
"He loves me. I know he does." Hitomi replied confidently.   
"But one of his jerks, I mean ADVISORS, said I couldn't marry him because I'm not of royal blood." She said in a cracked voice between tears.   
  
"Oh, Hitomi." Millerna whispered empathetically.   
"I'm so sorry."   
  
Allen felt like he was intruding on something.   
"Ladies? Shall we go to the castle now?"   
  
The two girls looked up.   
"Oh yeah. Right." Hitomi muttered as she got up, wiping away her tears.   
"Millerna, is it possible for you to help me get back to Fanelia?" Hitomi asked hopefully.   
  
"Of course, I'll do my best. You are my best friend Hitomi, I will aid you and we will find a way for you to be with Van."   
  
"Princess Millerna, you truly are a good friend." Hitomi whispered, as she took Millerna's hand and they walked towards the princess's home. Allen felt uncommonly left out as he trailed behind, keeping a close eye out for possible assassins.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
Van was still running blindly through the woods, when he halted all of a sudden.   
"What am I doing?" He asked aloud, he sighed at his own stupidity, tossing his shirt aside. He then unfurled his majestic snowy-white wings as feathers swirled about.   
"I'm coming Hitomi. I promise." He whispered to the night as two figures below nodded to each other. The plan was working wonderfully, and they should proceed to follow the young king to make sure it was carried out.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
"Millerna. Where have you been?" Eries asked anxiously as she spotted her sister walking up the path to the castle.   
  
"I'm fine sister, and look who accompanied me." Millerna stepped back revealing Hitomi and more importantly, Allen.   
  
"Allen." Eries mumbled. Millerna gave her a curious look, and Allen just remained grinning.   
"I mean... It's good to see you again Sir Allen."   
  
"The pleasure is all mine Princess Eries." Allen smoothly greeted her, getting on one knee to kiss her hand. Eries looked into his cerulean eyes and became lost.   
  
Millerna did not like where this was going.   
"Well then, we should be going inside now, shouldn't we?" The petrified Eries regained her senses and brushed Allen away, following Millerna and Hitomi. As they entered the great hall, a catgirl with dark blue hair emerged from a room, wringing her tail in her hand; staring at her feet.   
"Shuti. This is Lady Hitomi. She in under your charge during her stay here." Millerna announced.   
"Please take her to her room."   
  
"Yes Milady." Shuti replied.   
"This way, Lady Hitomi." And the catgirl started down the corridor, expecting Hitomi to follow.   
  
"I'll see you later Hitomi!" Millerna called to the green-eyed girl as she followed the new handmaiden.   
  
'Ragu, God of beasts, give me strength. My task is of the utmost importance, I shall not fail.' Shuti prayed to the beast patron saint for reassurance.   
'I wonder if I should pray to Dicha too. Would a god of humans listen to a beast-girl?' She sighed; knowing the Sea God of Asturia would never pay attention to her requests.   
"I cannot fail. I cannot let him down. He's counting on me." She hadn't wanted this assignment, but he had asked her, with those pleading eyes that burned into your heart, for HER to be the one to carry out this mission. She had not yet found the others, she assumed they were lurking around, waiting for the right opportunity.   
  
"Huh?" Hitomi asked in confusion.   
  
"Oh. Nothing Miss. Here is your room." Shuti opened a door to reveal a lovely guestroom that smelled of the sea.   
  
"It's lovely. Thank you Shuti." Hitomi whispered in awe, flopping down on the soft canopy bed.   
  
'She actually called me by name. I'm impressed.' Shuti remarked to herself.   
'I must be successful, for his sake and hers.' She curtsied before leaving the room.   
  
Getting off the bed, Hitomi sat in the window-seat, staring out at the immense blue ocean before her through the open window.   
"It's one of the loveliest things I've ever seen." She remarked, suddenly, she saw a blur of white and rubbed her eyes in confusion.   
"What was that?"   
The white blur was drawing closer, and Hitomi squinted to make out the figure. She stretched her arm out and caught a snowy white feather.   
"It's you..." She whispered, smiling brightly as her green eyes sparkled.   
Yes it was him, it was her love, it was Van, and he was coming for her.   
"VAN!" She called out to him in pure happiness. Losing her senses, she jumped out the window, attempting to reach him. She shrieked loudly when she realized she was going to keep falling.   
  
Allen and Millerna heard her scream and dashed into her room.   
"HITOMI!" Allen screeched in fear.   
  
"Oh Allen." Millerna sniffled into his blue vest, fearing the worst.   
  
"HITOMI!" Van called out to the falling girl. He sped up, hoping to catch her, although he knew he was too far away. He wouldn't make it. Just then, that all-too-familiar blue light enclosed Hitomi, and they could swear there were angels flying about her although heaven knows why. Two pearly white wings burst from her back, allowing her to safely float to the ground. (A/N: SHE IS NOT TOPLESS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SICK-MINDED!!! We will say she now wears an undershirt and it remained intact when her wings emerged!)   
  
"She's... She's a Draconian..." Allen muttered in disbelief, his eyes growing wider by the second.   
  
"Allen..." Millerna whispered in a rather frightened tone as she held on to him for support.   
"Why does Hitomi have wings?" It was just then that she fainted from shock and trauma, and luckily for her, Allen caught her before she hit the floor.   
  
"Millerna!" Allen inquired anxiously as he held her close.   
  
"You... You... Liar!" A voice shrieked from behind. As a broken-hearted Princess Eries fled down the hallway, her tears spilling all over the marble floor.   
'You told me that you loved me, and only me. You're such a liar, Allen Schezar. How could I have ever started loving you?'   
  
"PRINCESS ERIES!" Allen tried to call her back, but he was in a fix, he couldn't just abandon Millerna in her predicament, it was his duty as a knight to aid ladies in distress after all. (A/N: Chivalrous duties get in the way ONCE again... * Rolls eyes *)   
  
"She's just like me." Van murmured in amazement as he saw the angel that was Hitomi land softly in the gardens below. Lady Hiraki had told him of her heritage already, but seeing was believing. He soared over to the clearing she was in and touched down gracefully, staring into Hitomi's beautiful green eyes that had set his very soul on fire, from their first meeting. This was the first time two descendants of Atlantis had met face to face for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years, and been aware of the fateful event. It only made sense that the saviors of this world were both from another.   
  
Allen gently set the princess down and stared off the balcony at the confrontation below.   
"So Van, you've finally come. I'm glad. For both of you." He walked back inside smiling within as the princess remained outside, soaking up the fresh salt air.   
  
"So Hitomi? Keeping secrets from us, huh?" Van asked in amusement.   
  
"Unintentionally." She replied bitterly, staring at the fluffy white appendages projecting out of her back.   
"Oh grandmother, why didn't you tell me?" She whimpered, as she fell to her knees, tears creeping down her pale cheeks.   
  
Van slowly walked over to her, wings still outstretched. He crouched down and wiped away her tears with his hand.   
"Oh Hitomi, I always knew you were an angel before, but now you look the part." He smiled at her lovingly.   
"Omae wa ore no mono da sonomama, ne?"   
  
"Hai." She replied, grinning as she looked up at him.   
"Zutto." She ran into his warm embrace as he wrapped his wings around them, they acted like a blanket sheltering them from the pain of this world.   
  
"Hitomi, I'll give up everything, just to be with you." He admitted to her.   
"I'd even die for you. I'd do anything for you to be mine, because, I love you, Hitomi Kanzaki."   
  
"Oh Van. That's how I feel too." They embraced in a passionate kiss that sent their hearts spinning.   
  
"Come away with me Hitomi. We'll create the Gaea we always dreamed of."   
  
"But Van, what about..."   
  
"Kirus? I don't know what happened to him, he disappeared right after you left, and as for the others, I'll figure out something."   
  
"Aishiteru." She admitted to him solemnly as he reached out his hand and she grasped it warmly. They flew off over the ocean. They were going home.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
"YES! FINALLY! THEY'RE OFF! THEY'RE TOGETHER! NOW WE CAN GO HOME!!!" Kirus cheered in excitement, smiling broadly.   
  
"Iie." Lady Hiraki replied quietly.   
  
"Nani?" Kirus asked in surprise.   
"Why not mother? Destiny is being fulfilled; we've done our duty, now we can finally return to our world. I hate it here."   
  
"And why is that my son? You know in our world you're dead." A tear slid down her cheek.   
  
"Don't cry mother." He comforted her, hugging her tightly, afraid to let go.   
"I just know everything will be OK. I just know it."   
  
"I wish I had your confidence child. But we couldn't return home yet, even if I wanted us to. We must wait until EVERYTHING is as it is supposed to be."   
  
"BUT KAASAN! THAT WILL TAKE YEARS!" He practically shrieked.   
  
"Then so be it." She replied in her same cool tone.   
  
"You're impossible. Do you know that?" He asked, combing his hair off his forehead with his fingers.   
  
"I imagine so. That's why you left, I assume." She accused in a cold manner.   
  
He looked quite embarrassed and afraid.   
"I couldn't take it. It was too much. First father died in the war, then Rei was killed when the floating fortress crashed, and you were all bottled up in your room, plotting your next escapade to find that brother of yours."   
  
"You don't know what it's like to lose everything." She replied softly.   
"Everything."   
"That's why I asked the gods for this mission, so I could save this world so it will not suffer the same fate as our own."   
  
"Gomen nasai." He muttered, not taking her feelings into much consideration before.   
  
"I loved your father, and I'll always remember and miss him. But nothing's going to bring him back. It's not your fault or mine that he's gone. We must accept it and keep moving forward. That's what he would have wanted." She barely got out the last part before crying into her son's shoulder again. It was all too painful for this gentle woman.   
"We will wait..." She choked out.   
  
"Hai." He replied finally, as he stared off into the distance, his blue eyes gleaming with hope that was all but forgotten in his own world.   
"Perhaps now is the time, cousin, that I shall repay you." He whispered, wishing his relative could hear his ambitions.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
A/N: Who is Kirus? Who is Lady Hiraki? What's the deal with A/E? Will Millerna ever find true love? Who is Shuti? Is she somehow connected to Kirus and Lady Hiraki's quest? And where do Hitomi and Van tie in with all this? Will things be the same, or will fate be permanently altered? Was Daren's sacrifice in vain? Is there EVER going to be a villain in this stupid fic? WHERE ARE ALL THE OTHER ESCA CHARACTERS?! Find out next time... MWAHAHAHAHA! * Cough Cough * Review! I will only post the next chapter after I have 7 more reviews, but if it takes a really long time, I'll be more lenient. Arigatou and Sayonara!   
~Trunks Gal~ 


	4. Your Majesty

Disclaimer: I don't own Esca. That would be pure bliss. All original characters are mine however.  
  
A/N: I'm sorry I don't add to this frequently. I didn't think it would happen, but I got seven more reviews, so I won't be scrapping the fic at the moment so it seems. Thanks for all the positive reviews; they keep me going, I love 'em! I'm sorry to tell you that I'll need to have 20 reviews total before I'll upload the next chapter. Yes, I know it's hard, but that'll give me enough time to catch up on my other billion fics. I'm also revising, "Wings of an Angel," and it's coming along nicely. I just discovered something from a very mean review for one of my fics I just got, that, I DON'T LIKE FLAMES!!! (Well, duh!) So, if I get any from you, you won't want to face the consequences.  
  
Chapter 4: Your Majesty  
  
Hitomi and Van were soaring side-by-side through the air, Hitomi dived through a fluffy white cloud and laughed, feeling the moisture on her cheeks, she started performing daring dives where Van was tempted to save her, but she always managed to fly up, just in the nick of time, unharmed.  
  
"Hitomi, calm down, this is your first flight, DON'T overdo it!" He shuddered, remembering the consequences from when he first tried as a small boy.  
  
"Relax Van, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." She smiled playfully at him as she disappeared from view again, engulfed in a flock of migrating birds.  
  
"She'll be the death of me yet if my council doesn't do me in first." Van mumbled.  
  
"HEY! I HEARD THAT VAN FANEL!" She screamed back at him, causing some birds to squawk in fright and begin to peck her. Van shrugged before chuckling.  
  
"CUT THAT OUT!" She insisted, batting the birds away and rejoining Van.  
  
"LOOK VAN! IT'S FANELIA! Isn't it beautiful?" She stopped in midair to just stare at the emerald jewel of a country in the distance, it looked so inviting, so friendly, it was home.  
  
"RACE YA!" She shot ahead of him, flapping her wings quickly to stay in the lead.  
  
"YOU'RE ON!" Van tucked his wings against his body, and soared at full speed to catch up to her within seconds.  
  
"That's no fair!" Hitomi huffed, picking up speed.  
  
"All's fair in love and war." Van commented as he kept going, he stopped when he noticed Hitomi wasn't with him anymore, but farther back, just hanging there.  
  
"What's wrong Hitomi?" He asked as he flew up to her, concerned that she had over-worked herself, as she often tended to do.  
  
"Oh Yukari. Mom. Dad. Little Bro." A tear rolled down her cheek, followed by another, before she broke out in heart-wrenching sobs.  
  
Van looked rather uncomfortable as he saw her unparalleled sadness, she sank to the ground to her knees and couldn't seem to stop crying. He hadn't thought about what it must have be like for her, so far from her home, family, and friends, trying to adjust to a whole new way of life.  
  
"I'm. Sorry." She said softly in remorse, still engaged in her grief.  
  
"I. just. can't. seem. to stop."  
  
"Shhh. It's OK. I'm here, I won't let anyone hurt you again." He cradled her in his arms, as she sobbed into his chest.  
  
After an hour of holding her while she cried, she whispered, "I think I'm ready to go now."  
  
Van released her and they flew onward, finally landing by the Fanelian castle.  
  
"Dejá veu?" She asked as they landed in the exact same spot they had been in a day or so ago.  
  
"Get out there." Lady Hiraki hissed at Kirus as she pushed him from their hiding place.  
  
"Lord Van." Kirus got on one knee in front of the king who looked quite displeased that he had not been eaten by a dragon during his short disappearance.  
  
"Rise." Van said impatiently, as Hitomi clutched his arm.  
  
"I'm glad to see you've made it back Kirus." Van lied through his teeth.  
  
Kirus had not yet gotten up from his kneeling position with his eyes cast down.  
  
"I see you are still keeping Lady Hitomi's pleasurable company."  
  
"That I am." Van replied coldly, holding her protectively.  
  
"My Lord, I know what is troubling you, but might I suggest that we carry on matters further in the castle, it would make it much more pleasant. I took the liberty of hiring some new servants while you were 'away' and some of the old showed up yesterday, along with some surviving council members."  
  
"I suppose." Van muttered inwardly groaning that the council members remained, clasping Hitomi's hand tightly in his own and leading her inside.  
  
"Van." She whispered urgently.  
  
"Yes?" He looked up at her in concern.  
  
"Could you hold my hand a little less tighter, you're hurting me."  
  
"Sorry." Van mumbled, holding her hand more gently.  
  
"Thanks." Hitomi replied, before they kept marching onward.  
  
"Milady, I welcome you." Kirus struggled to open the wooden doors widely, as the king and his lady gracefully entered.  
  
Hitomi gasped as she looked around, true the castle was a sham of its former self, but it was still lovely. Van let go of her and she wandered around aimlessly, admiring a painting, feeling a statue, greeting a servant. Van was enjoying her reaction, as he and Kirus looked on at her amazement at what was everyday order for them. Hitomi ran up a wide staircase and Van and Kirus slowly followed. She looked into the training room where she had first seen a real sword fight between Balgus and Van. She danced around the hallway as though she was in a dream, but suddenly halted when she came to the room she had dwelled in during her short stay here before the war broke out. She ambled inside and noticed that it was very dusty from not being used for some time now. The shutters were at an odd angle and the floorboards squeaked when she walked on them. The bed looked fine, she eagerly peaked into the wardrobe, and set of drawers, noting things she had left behind in the mad rush to evacuate the castle. On the table beside her bed, there was a small blue music box, with a green dragon curled around it. She winded the key and it opened playing a familiar sounding tune. * Dejá Bleu (Don't know how to spell this) plays softly * She collapsed on the bed, thoroughly exhausted, and closed her eyes, listening to the sweet chords of the melody. Van tiptoed away, not wishing to disturb the sleeping angel. She was woken from her dream world when the music stopped and she opened her eyes to be looking into a set of blue ones.  
  
"GAHHHHHHHHHH!" She shrieked, tumbling off the bed.  
  
"Meow?"  
  
"Hitomi? Is that you?" The owner of the blue eyes asked in confusion at seeing the girl again.  
  
"MERLE!" Hitomi leaped on the catgirl, strangling her in a hug.  
  
"HEY! WATCH IT! I'M TURNING BLUE!" Merle whined.  
  
"Sorry, it's just so great to see a familiar face!" Hitomi smiled at her defeated rival.  
  
"I don't understand Hitomi, I thought you were going home. What happened?" Merle twitched her tail in puzzlement, looking to Hitomi for answers.  
  
"It's all thanks to Van I guess." She fell over and a romantic sigh escaped from her body.  
  
"YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH LORD VAN! AREN'T YOU HITOMI?! HUH?! HUH?!" She bounced up and down.  
  
"Well. I." Hitomi's face was bright red and she tried to hide it behind her hands.  
  
  
  
"I TOLD HIM! I TOLD LORD VAN THAT YOU WERE MADLY IN LOVE WITH HIM! I TOLD HIM!"  
  
"Oh, to be young and in love!" Merle had sparkly eyes as she beamed at the girl.  
  
"SO! WHEN'S THE WEDDING HITOMI?! I GOTTA KNOW THESE THINGS!"  
  
"Umm." Hitomi was not sure how to put this.  
  
"WHAT?!" Merle shrieked in disbelief.  
  
"YOU HAVEN'T SET A DATE FOR YOUR OWN WEDDING YET?!"  
  
"Actually." Hitomi decided at this point that no answer would be the right answer.  
  
"YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT EVEN ENGAGED YET?!" Merle grabbed Hitomi by the shoulders and shaked her vigorously.  
  
"N-N-N-O-O-O N-N-N-N-O-O-O-O-T-T-T-T-T Y-Y-Y-Y-E-E-E-E-E-T-T-T-T-T!!!" Hitomi was very dizzy and felt like throwing up right on the spot.  
  
"It's not like I don't want to marry him, he asked at a very bad time, and hasn't proposed since."  
  
"After all, I do love him."  
  
"Well, I've got work to do then! Later Hitomi!" Merle meowed and springed away, Hitomi dreaded what the catgirl had in store for them.  
  
"She's a handful, isn't she?" Van emerged from the shadows, with a grin on his face.  
  
"How long have you been hiding back there?" Hitomi asked in bewilderment, eyeing him suspiciously.  
  
"Long enough." Van responded in a lazy drawl.  
  
"Sorry you had to deal with Merle solo, she would have glomped me, had I appeared."  
  
Hitomi giggled, "You've got that right!"  
  
"Well, there's a ball tonight, and I have to get ready, Kirus will kill me if I don't start now. I hope to see you there, Milady." He bowed just like the servants, acting like a little boy. He kissed her hand and gave her a red rose before departing for his chambers.  
  
"Honestly. Do boys ever grow up?" Hitomi asked the emptiness of the room as she went off to find a vase for the lovely flower.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Van walked slowly down the hallway, his boots making a clicking sound on the marble floor. His gravity-defying hair hung in his face and his eyes were cast down, he was deep in thought.  
  
"LORD VAN!" The ever-present council member, Kirus, scrambled towards the agitated king.  
  
"Lord Van." The shorter man gasped for air, hands on his knees.  
  
"What is it Kirus?" Van asked, no emotion in his words.  
  
"An. * Gasp * .aging woman has appeared outside the castle walls.. * Pant * .When the guards questioned her, she seemed anxious to meet you. * Cough * .She claimed that she somehow knew you and threatened to curse us all if she doesn't gain permission to see you. The hag also said you had to bring Lady Hitomi with you. Perhaps we should send Lady Hitomi away, she seems to be stirring up quite a bit of trouble and I."  
  
Van slammed Kirus against the stone wall, holding him by the collar and bloodying his lip.  
  
"I will say who STAYS and who GOES! If you EVER move in on my authority AGAIN, I'll kill you." He dropped the shaking man and stood to the side once more.  
  
"Fine then. Show her in, I'll await her in the throne room." This woman had sparked his interest, he wouldn't mind hearing what it was she wanted.  
  
He walked away, Kirus still trembling on the ground.  
  
"This HAD BETTER be worth it mother." He cursed under his breath and scuttled away to get the 'mysterious' visitor.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey, Hitomi." Van tapped on her door.  
  
"What is it Van?" Hitomi asked from within the room.  
  
"Some lady wants to meet you and me in the throne room, better get down there."  
  
"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BALL?!" Hitomi shrieked in annoyance.  
  
"It's still on as far as I know, but this is rather important, could you please come out now?"  
  
"I suppose, but I look dreadful." Hitomi muttered in disgust about fickled men, never being able to make up their minds and therefore inconveniencing everyone around them.  
  
"I'm sure you look beautiful." Van mumbled, blushing.  
  
"What was that?" Hitomi asked, emerging from the room.  
  
"Oh. Er. Nothing." She was truly beautiful. In a Gaean-style dress, she looked like any lady you might come upon in the streets except for the boyish-haircut and the fact that she was wearing running shoes.  
  
"Well, we shouldn't keep our guest waiting, should we?" Hitomi grinned at his expression of adoration and pulled him along until they were in the main corridor, outside the room. The doorknobs were shaped like dragon heads and looked so real, Hitomi was afraid to touch them, fearing that they'd let loose fiery flames upon her or seize her hand in their sharp jaws.  
  
"Is Hitomi scared of the door?" Van smirked as he turned the handle, accessing them to the extremely large room.  
  
Murals were on the walls all around them, telling tales of Kings showing great bravery when defeating their enemies, always triumphing over evil. There was a newer looking painting on the other side of the room, and Hitomi wandered over to it. Beside it was an engraving of Varie and Gaou's moonlit meeting, fulfilling their destinies to always be together, even in death, never parting. The one she had focused in on was of a girl, and she was holding a pendant.  
  
A dragon was looming behind her and Hitomi wanted to scream, "WATCH OUT!" to the painting, but realized it was just a guymelef.  
  
'Escaflowne?'  
  
Off to the side was a boy, he was gazing at her, somewhat longingly. He had untamable raven hair and the deepest of brown color for his soulful eyes.  
  
"Is that. me?" Hitomi asked, turning around to face Van with a questioning look in her gaze.  
  
"Well. I. That is to say." Van was hoping she wouldn't notice and stumbled for the right words.  
  
"Yeah." He grudgingly admitted, looking at the depiction in appreciation.  
  
"But. Why?" Hitomi reached out her hand, tracing her fingers over the painting of herself, lingering over the pendant around Mural-Hitomi's neck.  
  
"You were Gaea's savior, you deserve a place on this wall."  
  
"I thought this was supposed to be a tribute to Fanelia's royalty."  
  
"It was made because. I love you and. I was HOPING, you'd be my wife." He looked at her eagerly, praying for the answer he desired.  
  
"Oh Van. Of course, I'd love to be your wife. I don't care what they say, as long as I'm with you, nothing else really matters. I love you Van Fanel."  
  
She kissed him deeply and they enjoyed this overwhelming pleasure until there was a cough coming from behind them.  
  
"Your Majesty?"  
  
Van blushed deeply, before releasing from the kiss and still holding Hitomi, whirled around to face their visitor.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Cliffhanger. MWAHAHAHA! Who is this mysterious visitor? Will she be a help or hindrance to Van and Hitomi's eternal love? We've seen Merle, but where's Dryden, the Crusade and Celena? What the heck's the connection with the not present Shuti? Find out next time in "Winged Destinies!" WOW! I have 15 reviews now! I guess that means I'll need at least five before continuing. Thanks for all your support; I'll do my best to entertain you. Arigatou! Ja matta ne! ^_^  
  
~Trunks Gal~ 


	5. A Strange Meeting

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. But I DO own tbe billion characters I invent along the way.  
  
A/N: Wow, I guess I've struck a chord with some people, I can't believe I already have 23 reviews! Wow, you guys are the best! I wish I could thank you all personally, heck I think I will, but not now, wait till the end of the fic. Should I start an email notification list for this fic? If you think so, tell me will ya? ^_~ I tried this chapter with some html codes, so I HOPE it works. Thanks again to all of you who reviewed, I'll try to get new chapters up more often, but I'm SOOOOOO busy with schoolwork and Christmas preparations. I'll need at least 28-30 reviews to add the next chapter though. So, that's your incentive. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 5: A Strange Meeting  
  
Hitomi blushed slightly, but Van held her hand reassuringly so she didn't feel as bad. She looked over Van's shoulder to the figure of a woman who looked to be in her thirties or forties. She had bright blue hair that was halfway between her waist and her shoulders that went along with her ice blue eyes.  
  
"Your majesty." The woman swept into a bow, down on one knee, she seemed fascinated by the floor.  
  
"Greetings weary traveler. What may I owe to the pleasure of your visit?" Van asked regally.  
  
"My name is Mysia. I have come to save you Lord Van. I have traveled farther than the Mystic Moon, our meeting is vital to the future of Fanelia and Gaea." She looked up and noticed the nervous girl behind him.  
  
"Oh no. Lady Hitomi, why are you out here in the open?! And Lord Van, you're letting her?! How dare you." She pointed at him, her finger shaking, tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"Why are you speaking to him like that?!" Hitomi shrieked in fury.  
  
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you at this time, Milady." Mysia stood up, and looked Hitomi straight in the eye.  
  
Hitomi stood frozen, she couldn't look away from Mysia's stare. Van seemed not to notice, as he continued to glare at the odd woman who was accusing him of not caring for his fiancée. She was still awake, but the back of her mind, drifted back, back into Mysia's faraway past.  
  
** "Where am I?" Hitomi's voice echoed into the blackness. She felt herself begin to spin, making her stomach want to turn inside out. Not knowing where she was going or what was happening, she let out an ear- splitting shriek.  
  
A little baby, crying loudly, the father no doubt, holding him upwards in great pride, while his other son tugged on his shirt, asking about the baby's name. The baby was now a little boy, and seemed to be playing with a girl who was half-cat. He jumped off the roof and. the scene went blurry. A fire, burning everything down, another baby, she was caught in the flames, Hitomi reached out, trying to save her, but it was too late. iThis isn't right, it's not supposed to be this way./i The little girl seemed to have vanished from this family's circle, now she saw the father, lying on his deathbed, holding his wife's hand, she sobbed into his sheets, begging the gods to spare the one thing she held dear to her. The gods had no mercy. iHitomi held back tears, feeling great sadness for the widow as she saw the man slowly fade away into the abyss of death./i The widow, weeping at a fresh grave, the older boy wasn't there, but the younger one was there, and seemed so afraid. i"Don't worry, little one. It'll be alright." Hitomi whispered softly, although she knew the boy couldn't hear her./i The boy, he was growing up, but without a family to love and care about him. A crown was placed on his head; he was on his way to become king. iShe smiled; he looked so sweet and innocent. The crown was too big, and kept slipping off his head, and he was constantly trying to right it, with little success./i Another woman, who strangled resembled Mysia, she was crying. Wearing threadbare clothing, covered in dirt and grime, begging for a few coins.  
  
A boy taunted her, "Ha! Ha! Ragamuffin! Eat mud with the pigs, although you're definitely fouler than the likes of them!" They started to run off with the girl's far-too-big shoes, but she caught their leader by the leg and pushed him facedown in the mud. He stood up, glaring angrily at her. He slapped her across the face, sending her reeling into the slop, and spit on her.  
  
"You'll be bloody sorry." He muttered, wiping the mud off his face before running off, still holding her shoes.  
  
Getting up, she quietly sobbed, muddy tears running down her pale cheeks, running away barefoot in the snow and muck.  
  
i"Poor thing." Hitomi muttered, feeling great pity for the beggar child./i  
  
She was eating rotten vegetables from a Dumpster, and had a squirrel on a spit; it must have been dead for days because the stench was awful. A large, greasy man ran out of the shop next door ran out and swatted her away with a newspaper, she abandoned her measly dinner, with a face filled with painful regret, she hadn't eaten in over a week. A kind old man, he was letting her come into his warm store. She was cleaned up and looked like a little lady, all dainty and proper, you wouldn't have known she was the little beggar from before. She grew up, and Hitomi watched her wedding, she looked so happy, smiling at her new husband, sealing her vows with a kiss.  
  
iHitomi sighed in relief, things were finally going right for her./i  
  
The woman was now holding a tiny baby boy in her arms, he had blonde hair and blue eyes and was a darling little creature, you could tell she adored him. Her husband died, and Hitomi's heart ached seeing her tears again.  
  
For some reason the boy, her son, was running away, Hitomi wanted to scream at him, "How can you leave her all alone?" But she had lost control of her speech and could only watch.  
  
She was reunited with her brother, the king, and was so happy, but sadness lingered within her, her husband, her son, they were gone. Her brother was married, with several children and a charming wife, who filled his life with joy. But half of their children died. Escaflowne was fighting again, but why?. Then, the world exploded, and the king's son turned his head to look at her, death reflected in his gaze. Before he too died, she studied him. He looked like a fusion of herself and Van. With raven hair and piercing green eyes, he swung his mighty sword, striking down every foe that dared to cross his path.  
  
She gasped, "Is that." She paled before returning completely to the world of the living. **  
  
"My son.?" Hitomi was pale and trembling.  
  
"What's wrong Hitomi?" Van asked in concern, noting her obvious distress, not hearing her question.  
  
"Oh nothing." She dismissed it casually before walking closer to Mysia.  
  
"I'm sorry." She whispered softly, hugging the woman before stepping back to Van's side.  
  
Mysia and Van looked like they were in a state of combined shock, bewilderment, and surprise, Hitomi smiled at their reaction. This would be her little secret.  
  
'Maybe there's more to this girl that what I originally thought.'  
  
"As I was saying your highness. Lady Hitomi is of the utmost importance for the future of Gaea. She must have a chaperone at all times, day or night, she is NEVER safe." Mysia warmed them.  
  
"What's wrong with you? Can't you see you're scaring her?" Van was focused on the emerald-eyed girl who was back to her state of fright and nervousness.  
  
"I'm simply making sure that you don't lose what matters to you most. They'll stop at nothing to kill her. Whoever gets in their way will be the first to meet their blade."  
  
"Who are 'they'? What are you talking about? And why is Hitomi in so much trouble again?" Van yelled at the woman, impatient that she kept avoiding answering his questions.  
  
"Lord Van." Mysia whispered in a shaky voice, staring at him with pale blue eyes that mirrored fear, horror, and pity.  
  
"You wouldn't be asking that if you knew the horrors of what used to be my world."  
  
"What do you mean?! You're not making any sense!" Van was not getting it and felt like strangling this fortune-teller whom seemed to enjoy befuddling his mind.  
  
"You are too smart for me Lord Van, and I'm afraid I'll have to tell you a few things. But I beg that you keep your silence until I'm through or I'll say nothing and you'll forever live your life pondering what I'm warning you of. Agreed?" She stretched out her gloved hand.  
  
"Agreed." Van mumbled, quickly shaking her hand, before taking Hitomi's and leading her to his throne where she sat on his lap, preparing to listen to Mysia's story.  
  
"Alright then." She stood before them with a defiant glint in her eyes, daring them to challenge what she was about to tell them.  
  
"I come from Gaea, as you do Lord Van, but I come from, now how should I put this? I guess it's the past, but it's your possible future, but this is the same time just changed. OH I DON'T KNOW! We'll just say that I'm from Gaea, but another one. In my world, you ruled as just king and protector of all of Fanelia, and you, Lady Hitomi, ruled by his side as his queen. And you were damn good rulers at that." She muttered the last part, but they could still hear it.  
  
Hitomi and Van started staring into each other's eyes, feeling extremely joyous all of a sudden.  
  
Mysia took note of this, "You two lovebirds can stare at each other later, listen to what I have to say!" Hitomi and Van broke their gaze and blushed deeply.  
  
"Lady Hitomi returned to the Mystic Moon like she was supposed to, but several weeks later that cursed light came and returned her to you. She had a tough trip back and you, Lord Van, nursed her back to health. It took forever, you had to go through stupid princesses, a certain knight of Caeli, death, and many misunderstandings before you were FINALLY married. Lord Van went off to war a few times and Lady Hitomi bore him four children, one who died as a baby. Finding your brother and sister-in-law to be dead Lady, you took in your orphaned twin nieces. Eventually, your oldest boy, Daren, married and you became grandparents of his children, and your daughter, Varomi's, children. There was a great war on Gaea between Zaibach and Fanelia. Many loved ones were killed, so your son generously gave up our world so that the two of you could find great happiness, hoping you wouldn't meet the same fate. Your son is a great man, My Lord and Lady, and it is easy to see where he gets it from. You should be very proud of him. I'd say more, but it would endanger you and those you care about. I already said more than I should have."  
  
Van and Hitomi sat there in stunned shock. The fact that they had a whole other history boggled their minds a bit, and made them worry about the future.  
  
"I know I've complicated your lives a bit, but we were sent to save you." She looked up at them hoping that they understood.  
  
"What do you mean, 'we'?" Hitomi asked suspiciously.  
  
"You'll know when the right time comes. I beg of you, protect her Lord Van, she is our future. For from her, a savior shall be born, who will deliver Gaea from all peril. Marry her, your destinies wish it to be so. And, I believe, that you will find what you're looking for in the oldest section of the Royal Library. You'll know what I mean when you see it!" She ran away, cape flying behind her, staff in hand. The guards tried to make her halt, but she went through them, as though she were a ghost.  
  
"But of course, a ghost of tomorrow." Hitomi whispered as Van held her protectively.  
  
"We can change fate, I know we can. Our world shall not be burdened by such sorrows." Van replied stubbornly.  
  
He walked over to a tube like thing, that Hitomi figured must be the Gaean version of an intercom.  
  
"All Samurai, Council, and advisors, report to the Council meeting room immediately, or heads will roll."  
  
"Nice touch." Hitomi commented.  
  
"Well, I try." Van mumbled, slightly smirking at her.  
  
"So, what did you make of what Mysia told us?" Hitomi asked casually.  
  
"Oh, nothing really. I guess I better set up extra guards outside your room, ne?" Van detected a hint of a blush creeping to his cheeks.  
  
'I need to work on talking with women, it's the one thing I can't seem to do.'  
  
They reached the council room, and pushed open the heavy oak doors to reveal a bunch of old bearded men sitting around glaring at each other. Hitomi wanted to burst out laughing, but decided that wouldn't make a good first impression. Instead, she curtsied, hanging onto Van's arm, as he almost toppled over.  
  
"I'd like to introduce your future queen. You may recognize Miss Hitomi Kanzaki of the Mystic Moon, do you not gentlemen?" Van asked, quite amused by his council's expressions. All their mouths had dropped to hit the table and they were looking at him like he'd just announced he would be taking a dragon as a pet.  
  
"You're insane, Your majesty. That wench is not suited to be royalty!"  
  
"The very idea is absurd!"  
  
"Quite right Matai! Good show!"  
  
"We've received dozens of marriage proposals! From Basram to Schezario!"  
  
"She is cursed, sire, she'll bring disaster upon us all!"  
  
"She must be of royal blood as well!"  
  
"I'm sorry, your highness, but you have truly lost your sanity, if you believe we can accept this." Kirus remarked, looking actually saddened, for he had grown rather fond of the awkward girl, and would be displeased to see her go.  
  
"You don't understand! If I don't marry Hitomi we're all doomed!" He was very nervous that they wouldn't listen to reason.  
  
His suspicions were quickly concerned.  
  
"REALLY, Lord, you're awfully desperate for this girl, aren't you? But our decision will not be swayed. Good Day." The head council member got up and the others filed out behind him.  
  
"Damn you all. You're as good as dead." Van muttered in disgust at their obvious stupidity. He sighed, running his hand through his hair on the back of his head, trying to think up a plan.  
  
"Milord?" Kirus squeaked.  
  
"What is it now?" Van grunted in dismay, not wanting to know what other unpleasant news the obnoxious advisor had to announce.  
  
"Yours and Lady Hitomi's bags are packed, with all the things you may need. I think you know what I mean, but don't forget to get that book from the library." His blue eyes twinkled, before he scurried off without another word, leaving Van speechless.  
  
"Maybe I should offer him a raise. But what does he have in mind?" Then, it hit him.  
  
"I can't believe he wants us to elope. He's the LAST person I'd expect this from. I wonder if Merle is blackmailing him or something."  
  
"What was that Van?" Hitomi asked, looking at him curiously.  
  
"You'll find out, come on!" He grinned boyishly at her, before racing down the stairs to the abandoned royal library.  
  
Inside, it was dark and musty, spiders scuttled about, oblivious to the two intruders entering their domain. Van slowly walked around, taking in everything from his old world, before his life came crashing down all at once. It had been sealed after all the royal family except Van had died, and hadn't been explored since. It acted as a library and quiet retreat where the Fanels could enjoy life's simple pleasures in peace. He recognized a piece of embroidery his mother had been working on, to take her mind off Father's illness. He tripped over a top he played with as a small boy, and took great delight in again sending it spinning across the stone floor. His father's reading glasses lay abandoned on top of a book he had only been halfway through, and now the ink was fading. What really made him pause, and stare at with great longing in his chocolate eyes, was the family portrait. His father, mother, Folken and himself. For some reason there was a cradle by Varie's side, it was empty and Van had never understood why it had been added to the painting in the first place. He sat in his mother's lap, and Father's hand rested on Folken's shoulder. They looked so proud, so regal, as if they knew that this was where they belonged. Van missed that sense of belonging and fated purpose. For the first fifteen years of his life, he had known his destiny, and had never questioned it. Then, Hitomi came into the picture and his world was turned upside down. On one of the plump velvet chairs, lay a dusty book. The very one he and Folken had once read, time and time again.  
  
"And our hero slew the rampaging dragon, and became king of all Fanelia." Van muttered, knowing that story by heart.  
  
"They look like they were good people Van. I know they would have been proud of you. Just like me."  
  
Hitomi came up behind him, and hugged him, noting the tears welling up in her beloved's eyes.  
  
"Poor boy. You need a mother and father, a family. Why couldn't you just stay a little boy forever? I wish none of us ever had to grow up. Just because you're a prince doesn't mean you don't need any love." She kissed him gently on the cheek, and he smiled at her in appreciation.  
  
"You amaze me. You know that, don't you?" He asked, his eyes shining.  
  
"It's what I'm here for." She plopped down in the chair next to him and he began to read the Gaean classic childhood story.  
  
"A long time ago, there was a brave knight and a beautiful princess. The princess's name was Adora and she ruled beside her parents, as Princess of Fanelia. Princess Adora spent much of her time looking out her window, for she couldn't leave the castle, because dragons circled around it and anyone who stepped outside was sure to be killed. A great many knights and warriors had tried to rescue her, but to no avail, they had all failed. Her father and mother, the king and queen, grew more distressed day by day, and the Fanelian citizens shed tears of grief for their doomed rulers. A tailor's son, by the name of Vazo, watched the dragons swoop around the capital and sighed, wishing he could do something to aid the lovely princess, for he had watched her grow up since he was a small lad, and had fell deeply in love with the gentle, kind-hearted, maiden. One day, he decided to do something about it. He took his father's armor and ran away from his home in the dead of the night, his only weapon being his great- great-grandfather's sword. The dragons were sleeping as he crept upon them, they never knew he was coming until it was too late. With great gusto, he slew the first few sleeping giants, but one awoke and Vazo knew he'd have to kill him to rescue the princess. The dragon whipped into his abdomen with his sharp spikes, hissing in rage at being challenged by such a scrawny peasant with no real value in life. An unworthy opponent. Blood spurted down his side, dirtying the thin armor, which was falling off from abuse in battle and age. He dived at the dragon's stomach, plunging his sword as deep as it would go. The dragon let out a glass-shattering scream, before falling dead to the ground Vazo spit out green dragon blood, wiping off his face and preparing to enter the castle to see about the princess. Just then, a pink light emitted from within the dragon. Vazo drew closer; afraid the dragon was playing possum and was waiting to bite off his head when he let his guard down. He carefully cut away at the scaly flesh, revealing a glowing pink jewel. He picked it up and all the blood disappeared. The body fell apart and he fell to the ground, still clutching the heart tightly in his fist.  
  
As the last remains vanished, an apparition appeared before the boy and he fell to his knees in respect.  
  
"Vazo L'Moure de Guymel of Fanelia?" The apparition asked him in a raspy voice.  
  
"That is I." Vazo whispered in disbelief.  
  
"You have done well, and shall be rewarded. You have slain a dragon, truly an amazing feat, and thus doing so, have saved Fanelia from devastation because of the power of your love. Listen to me and obey my laws and you and your people shall live in peace and harmony for as long as the stars glow at night. For I am Yoku, master of destiny, fate, and fortune. From this day forward, you are no longer Vazo, a simple tailor boy. You are now Ronu Tueur de Fanel, King of all Fanelia. You shall marry fair princess Adora, and your family shall reign forever, a never-ending dynasty. This is my promise to you, Lord Ronu. I also have a gift for you, for only the kings of your bloodline may ever pilot it. I present to you, Escaflowne." What looked to be a white metal warrior landed before him, perched on one knee.  
  
"It's an Ispano, you should be proud to own such a powerful warrior such as this."  
  
"Escaflowne? Ispano? Warrior?" The newly proclaimed King asked.  
  
"Don't be afraid boy, place your drag-energist in its heart!" The spirit chided impatiently.  
  
"W-What?" 'Ronu' asked in confusion, wondering if he was talking about the pink crystal.  
  
"Take the jewel, and put it in the beast's heart, it's that simple." The voice continued, like it was coaching a little kid into drinking Piscus for the first time. Ronu did as he was instructed and it burst to life, summoning violent winds, reeling him backward into a tree. Awaking from unconsciousness, he reached out hesitantly to touch the heart and to his surprise, what looked like a cockpit opened and he jumped in. He could hear the dragon's pulse beating steadily and the gears and machinery hiss as they moved into place around him.  
  
"Use it well, Lord. I'll always be with you." The spirit disappeared, leaving the warrior alone.  
  
He gradually figured out how the contraption worked.  
  
"I christen thee, a guymelef, and I swear to you, Escaflowne, that my descendants will keep our promise to Yoku." He slit his arm and the energist absorbed the blood as though it were a soothing drink. He pressed a button and the guymelef turned into a white dragon. He soared up through Princess Adora's window, catching her off guard, she screamed, falling over.  
  
"Princess Adora." Ronu climbed out of Escaflowne taking a step toward her.  
  
"Will you marry me?"  
  
Getting over the drama, she smiled at the brave, noble man, and fell in love with her rescuer. For although he was a simple peasant, with poor lineage, little money, and he looked a wreck from his battle, she could tell that he had a good heart.  
  
"Of course I will." He swept her into her arms as they went off to announce their engagement.  
  
And so our hero slew the dragon, and became king of all Fanelia." Van snapped the book shut, as Hitomi absorbed the story.  
  
"Is that a true story?" She asked in curiosity.  
  
"We don't know for sure." Van admitted.  
  
"But it's the only explanation we have for Fanelia's rather muddled history."  
  
"See, that's great-great-great-great-great-great . Well, you get the idea, Grandpa Ronu, painted after his coronation." Van pointed at a portrait of a rather handsome man, who looked a great deal like Van, except he had dazzling blue eyes.  
  
Hitomi walked closer and read the inscription below it, "Notre aimé sauveur. La clé se trouve avec le héros."  
  
"But what does that mean?"  
  
"No one knows. The ancient Fanelians had a screwy since of humor. All the ancient texts are written in different languages that are considered 'dead' here. We have no idea where most of them are from." Van shrugged it off, looking at his ancestor with great reverence and respect.  
  
"He looks like he was a great man. Just like you." Hitomi commented softly.  
  
"Yeah, he was, I guess. I mean, I never got to meet him or anything, he lived hundreds of years ago after all." Van muttered, not taking his eyes of his ancient warrior relation.  
  
"I wish my grandmother was here. She could always make me feel better. She'd brew some Oolong tea and make some Miso soup while telling me one of her wonderful stories, and I'd feel brand-new."  
  
"Yes, mother was the same way. I thought she was right about everything, and father loved her. And Folken and I loved her. It crushed me when she died, I couldn't take anymore pain." Van looked down at the floor, embarrassed at his weakness, but she simply drew him closer, trying to chase away the pain in his heart.  
  
"Weren't we supposed to be down here for something?" She asked him, remembering all of a sudden their mission.  
  
"Oh yes, the book Kirus told us to fetch."  
  
Van walked over to one of the old oak bookcases, with shelf upon shelf of books. He opened a shelf enclosed with glass and flicked a spider away that crawled across one of the few books in the case. He selected the oddest-looking book that was very unrecognizable. The title was chipped away, and the words inside looked like an endless tale. No two pages seemed to be in the same language, and even Hitomi looked confused.  
  
She beamed when they reached a page of Japanese, and Van looked at her admiringly as she read silently. He frowned when she looked very puzzled.  
  
"It doesn't make any sense since I can't read the rest of it. It babbles about a savior and dragons and a bunch of nonsense I don't understand. I wish I understood the rest of it, but I guess it's supposed to help us in bSOME/b way." She looked at him sadly; feeling disappointed that she wasn't more of a help.  
  
"It's alright Hitomi. We'll figure this out. Don't worry about it just yet. Let's get going!" He winked at her and they ran out front, to where a horse was awaiting them, harnessed to a cart filled with supplies.  
  
"Ya!" Van commanded, flicking his whip as they drove out of sight, not knowing what lie ahead of them, unaware they had a stow-away hidden beneath the carriage.  
  
"Goodbye Lord Van! Bye Hitomi!" Merle called out the window at her Lord's departure.  
  
"Come back soon." The catgirl meowed dejectedly, crawling off into the shadows.  
  
'Matchmaking comes at a price, I guess.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"This is not how things are supposed to go." Lady Hiraki muttered dejectedly.  
  
"You know that don't you?" She looked up at her son expectantly.  
  
"You were sure a big help with that stunt you pulled, I had to back you up." Kirus mumbled in defense.  
  
"Let's just see what happens." She replied, watching the couple ride away.  
  
"This may work to our advantage."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: What'll happen next? You'll find out whenever I get around to it. I'm watching, "My Neighbor Totoro" at the moment, a very sweet film. I may not get another chapter out until Christmas break. I'll keep working on it, but I'm soooooooo far behind. I have so much to do. I have not given up on my other fics, it's just taking a while. I hope you enjoyed this, please review! Later! ^_~  
  
~Trunks Gal~ 


	6. Painful Recollections

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. Van-sama will never be mine… * sniff * I doubt I'll ever get over the heartbreak of it all. But I DO own all original characters. And there are quite a few of those…  
  
A/N: Hey everybody! Waz up? Sorry it's taken so long to upload this, I've spent a lot of time with relatives and talking on the internet/phone over break, so not a lot of time for my fics. I turned thirteen on December 28, so YAY for me! Thanks for all the nice reviews, you guys rock! I have 30, so I am obviously pleased. But I'm afraid that I'll need at least 36 reviews for the next chapter to be put up… (And NO Artamis, you can't review a billion times and expect me to add up the next chapter… So-rry… But thanks so much for the billion nice reviews, I DO appreciate them, and thanks to Ashley-Chu too for reviewing!) READ AND REVIEW OR I'LL HURT YOU! ^_^; OK, anyways… Thanks and enjoy!  
  
Chapter 6: Painful Recollections  
  
"Princess Eries!" Allen called for the quiet princess when he caught sight of her while searching the palace.  
  
"Sir Allen." The Princess greeted him icily, her voice positively dripping with hostility.  
  
"Eries!" Allen said in hopelessness, knowing he was about to receive the verbal thrashing of his life.  
  
"Please, Sir Allen, address me properly. For I am a Princess of Asturia, and demand to be treated with respect." She said coldly, forgetting her love for the blonde-haired knight of Caeli.  
  
"Please Eries, let me explain! I…"  
  
"Silence." She commanded.  
  
"I am Eries Laura Aston, 2nd Princess of the Royal House of Asturia, and now, successor to Asturia's throne. I wish you well, Sir Allen." Tears started trickling down her cheeks. This was it. She couldn't deal with his playboy tendencies any longer. As much as it hurt, this was time to say goodbye.  
  
She started to choke on her tears before sputtering out, "I hope you're very happy, in the life you've chosen." She fled down the hall, weeping, leaving Allen a broken man. He couldn't lose her too; it hadn't been more than a day since he'd lost the only other girl who he had really cared about…  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Sir Allen." A healer called to him as Allen walked up the pathway towards the healing ward his sister was being cared for at.  
  
"Can Selena finally come home?" Allen asked hopefully.  
  
The doctor smiled at him, happy for the man who'd been very anxious about his sister. He was like a father to the girl, and it was easy to see how much he loved and missed her. He'd miss Lady Selena and her odd personality. He would have made her stay longer, to run further tests and assure himself that everything was in order, but the joyous look on her brother's face when he saw her and her own blissful expression, when he visited everyday, had deeply moved him, and he felt the best therapy for her would be to stay with him. Every day he had asked if she could come home with him, and every day he had given the same answer, "No." The knight would visit for a while, keeping his ailing sister company, then go home promising the girl that he'd take her home tomorrow. But one tomorrow had turned into another and it seemed like an eternity to the girl that she had spent with the kind healers, even though it had only been a few days, her desire to rejoin her brother, and go home, was so strong it made her loose track of time. It had been a pleasure working with such a delightful, young… Well no, she wasn't exactly a lady, but wait, now she was. He'd forgotten that he still needed to tell Sir Allen something rather important about his sister's recovery, but before he could, the blonde haired girl with the inquisitive blue eyes ran into her brother's open arms.  
  
"Selena! Oh Selena, are they letting you go with me?" He asked cheerfully, though dreading the daily answer.  
  
'They say it'll be few more days, brother,' or 'They're running a few final tests Allen,' were one of the many answers he assumed he'd receive.  
  
To his surprise, that was not what she said.  
  
"Yes, brother, yes! I'm finally going home!" The smaller girl had whispered, hugging him tightly as tears welled up in her big brother's eyes. She wiped them away with her small hand, and smiled at him.  
  
"Don't cry brother, I'm safe now, I get to leave with you and never ever come back!" She snuggled into his chest as he held her gently, never wanting to let go of the little sister that he loved so.  
  
"Take good care of her Sir Allen." The healer told him, eyeing the girl with fatherly affection, he grew quite close to his charges.  
  
"And make sure she takes this medicine everyday. Once after the Mystic Moon rises, and once after it sets. Who knows what will happen if she doesn't." The healer cautioned him, handing the knight a strange blue bottle filled with tonic.  
  
"You have my word as a knight, my friend. Thank you for watching over my little sister. You have my eternal gratitude." He bowed and lifted Selena onto the back of his horse before riding away from the country ward and back into the bustling capital, Palas.  
  
"There's two who'll live happily ever after." A bent-over healing woman, old enough to be Selena's grandmother, croaked, her thin lips cracking into a small smile at the heartwarming scene.  
  
"Yes indeed, Yes indeed." The healer replied.  
  
"Happily ever after."  
  
~These are Selena's memories below, Allen doesn't know all, this, it's just what happened after he brought her home from the healers' ward ~  
  
"She's just a little ragamuffin Sir Allen took in they say." A snobby girl whispered to her group of followers at the Grand Asturian Ball.  
  
"I mean, look at her. She's not nearly as good-looking as Sir Allen. And, if she really WAS his sister, than she'd have a higher title than mine, and that just couldn't be. The rumor is that she knows that cute Zaibach Captain. What's his name? Oh, yes, Lord Dilandau. He smiled at me you know." The snobby girl continued as Selena rolled her eyes, pretending not to hear what they were saying.  
  
"Hey! You!" The girl pointed at Selena, gesturing her to come over.  
  
"Everyone says you know Lord Dilandau. Did a certain Marian Trefolia ever slip into his conversation?" She asked expectantly.  
  
"Oh yes. Many a time." Selena began, smirking.  
  
"He told me all about the girl who danced around like a monkey when he dropped some ice cubes down her shirt at a ball a few years ago. He had the time of his life after that escapade, he told me." She tried to not burst out laughing when Marian turned a bright shade of red before scurrying off, with her many snobby friends trailing quickly behind.  
  
"Having fun?" Allen asked her as he waltzed over while dancing with Lady- something-or-other, she didn't bother to know their names. It was a waste of time, he just moved on to another woman the next minute.  
  
She sighed, she didn't want to lie to him, her brother was her best friend. She told him everything! Well everything except… But he didn't need to know that. I mean, why would she ever…?  
  
"Should I take that sigh as a 'no?'" He asked.  
  
"Thank you." Allen said to his dancing partner, bowing and kissing her hand before she scurried off.  
  
"I know it's hard for you to adjust to all this. And I know that they," He gestured to the crowd of girls, "Aren't making it any easier on you."  
  
"Allen, I'm not like you, I don't like to be around so many important people. I like to be off on my own, reading, or talking with you or a close friend. Not pretending to be interested in stupid gossip, or dancing with some strange boy, I don't have the slightest inkling of who he is. And I hate this dress. May I please go home?" She pleaded with him.  
  
"Now Selena. It would be impolite to leave before the party ends. You can tough it out for another few hours, can't you dear?" Allen asked, putting on his charm.  
  
"I guess so." Selena mumbled in disgust at her weakness when arguing with her brother.  
  
"That's my little lady." Allen said, smiling and hugging her.  
  
"You'll be a great noblewoman someday." He walked off when Princess Eries gestured that she'd like to dance with him from the other side of the room.  
  
"But I'm not a lady." Selena muttered as she walked off.  
  
"And I'll always just be second best." She ran outside, forgetting her brother's instructions, she needed to feel the cool grass beneath her feet and the blue sky above her. She took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air that hadn't been breathed by a bunch of stuffy nobles for the last 3 hours. She tore off her skirt, revealing her pair of spandex pants much like the kind her idol, Princess Millerna, wore. She had always admired Princess Millerna's individuality and how she didn't take orders from anyone. If only she could be like that. She shimmied up a nearby tree, and plucked a plump Piscus from a limb, greedily drinking the sour juice within.  
  
"I can just imagine the latest gossip." She whispered in spite of herself.  
  
"Lady Selena is said to be Lord Dilandau in disguise. She had died her hair blonde and the Zaibach sorcerers changed her eyes to blue so she could hide out in Asturia, waiting to strike. And Sir Allen has actually settled down with ONE girl! Shocking!" She laughed, almost falling out of the tree. She spent the remainder of the party up there, with her fruit and her musings on what she was luckily missing within the ballroom.  
  
When it ended, she heard her brother's angry voice calling from the ground, "SELENA ENCIA SCHEZAR! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME… I'LL!"  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Selena moaned, saddened that her short visit among nature was cut short.  
  
"Darling, look, isn't that Sir Schezar's sister?" A woman whispered to her husband.  
  
"Yes, I think so. Disgraceful!" The husband whispered back to his nosey wife, eyeing her attire and behavior.  
  
"An outrage!"  
  
"Obviously, Sir Schezar ignores her. I'd never let a woman from MY household dress like that!"  
  
"She has no right to be at such a function!"  
  
"Can't her brother clothe her properly!"  
  
"Tomboy! Who does she think she is?!" The insults went on until Selena blocked them out and turned around to face her brother.  
  
"How could you?" Allen asked sadly. Selena felt instantly ashamed, she knew how important his honor was too him. Now they thought her brother was a bad provider. They might even take her away from him. He walked off into the moonlight, headed towards home.  
  
"I can't go back." Selena realized sadly.  
  
"I can't." She walked off in the opposite direction, headed towards Zaibach, where she knew she had a future.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Selena walked for about a day, and grew bored and tired. She needed some sort of interaction. She wasn't like her counterpart, Dilandau, she needed someone to speak and interact with. Actually, Dilandau needed socialization too; he just expressed it differently. Through insults and abusing his poor Dragonslayers. She decided to use her last resort. What could it hurt? She'd seal him back inside the minute he stepped out of line. The healers hadn't been able to completely remove Dilandau, but she now had control over him, and could give him his own body if she wanted to, but she could just as easily take that body away, locking him inside her once again. She know longer heard his constant screaming. Occasionally she'd hear his mumbling of 'Shinda?' And 'Moero!' But besides that, he was usually silent these days. She wanted companionship, although his was most undesirable. Yes, she'd do it…  
  
"Arawareru… Arawareru… Arawareru Enkou… Arawareru Enkou… Arawareru Ima! Arawareru!" A burst of flames appeared before her, and a cackling came from within…  
  
"Boku wa Dilandau-sama!" A silver-haired boy screamed as he opened his bright red eyes, returning to the world that had thought he was long gone. He was back. Getting over the fact that he was here, he pondered, HOW he got here. The sorcerers that had created him were dead as well as Dornkirk and Folken, he turned around, hoping to see his liberator and looked into two sparkling blue eyes that looked very happy to have him there.  
  
"Are you…?" He recognized her immediately, but was cautious to make assumptions.  
  
"…Me?"  
  
The girl with the bright blue eyes laughed.  
  
"I guess you could say that, although I've always thought of it as the other way around. I'm your good side."  
  
"Tell me this is a bad dream…" Dilandau muttered in hope.  
  
"Let me wake up in my room on the Vione with a big bottle of Vino on the table for breakfast and my guymelef waiting for me in the hangar.  
  
"Sorry, it's not a dream. You know the Vione was destroyed Dilandau, your guymelef is under lock and key by the Asturian palace." She said sadly, feeling sympathy for the boy who had lost everything in less than a week, his life, his friends, his possessions, and his home.  
  
"What is your name girl?" He asked in disgust that this wasn't some horrid nightmare, but actually a cruel twist of fate.  
  
"My name is Selena Encia Schezar." She said sweetly, giving him her best attempt at a curtsy before falling over in her effort.  
  
"SCHEZAR?!" Dilandau shrieked in disbelief.  
  
"I REFUSE to believe that I'm related to that blonde idiot! I'm going to kill that fool if it's the last thing I ever do!"  
  
"Silence. He's our brother you moron, and you should treat his nicely. He had the chance to kill you, but he didn't. Even when you were his worst enemy, he spared you! If you so much as lay a finger on him, I will rip you limb from limb!" The usually gentle blonde went hostile on him.  
  
"I like 'em feisty." Dilandau commented, smirking at her.  
  
"Shut up, playboy." She muttered.  
  
"Keep it up and I'll entertain you with my version of your love life, and I'm telling you, it won't be pretty." Now it was her turn to smirk.  
  
"Anything but that." Dilandau exclaimed, paling.  
  
"Alright then. You'll be joining me I guess." She started walking off.  
  
"Joining you for what?!" He asked in annoyance.  
  
"On my quest." She replied, continuing her progression forward.  
  
"What quest?!"  
  
"My quest to find out who I am." She replied matter-of-factly.  
  
"Well gee, I'd just shoot myself if I missed this one." He commented sarcastically.  
  
"Shut up, unless you wish to never see the light of day again." She knew his weakness, he'd do anything for freedom, after all, she knew his desires, he was part of her.  
  
"I'll come along… for now." He replied after sighing in annoyance.  
  
"Good."  
  
"Tell me girl, why did you release me?" He asked her urgently.  
  
"You know I'm a suicidal killing machine without a friend in the world and a lust for fire and destruction. Why resurrect me?"  
  
"That's for me to know, and you to find out!" She grinned at him, winking.  
  
"What the hell does that mean?!" He shrieked in aggravation.  
  
"If you're good and don't burn down any cities on our journey, I'll tell you when it's over. Now c'mon, let's go, we don't have forever!" She started jogging off, enjoying the feel of the cool night air on her pale skin.  
  
'I'll figure you out long before this is over girl, I swear to that as sure as my name is Dilandau Albatou.'  
  
He then quickly ran to catch up with her, and their epic travels began…  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So Van," Hitomi asked, "Where are we going?"  
  
"As far away from here as possible." Van replied, as the horse and cart took them farther and farther away from his life-long home.  
  
"The village of Arzas would be good, I've been meaning to visit Rhum for quite some time now. They're peaceful folk, they'd harbor us for a while."  
  
"Van, I'm so sorry. I know how hard it is for you to leave Fanelia behind. I really don't think I'm worth it. So if you want to, you can turn around and go home right now, and I shall stay as your friend and advisor."  
  
"How could you even SUGGEST something like that?" He asked in disbelief.  
  
"I love only YOU Hitomi. I want only YOU. I need only YOU. I can't live without YOU." He told her sincerely.  
  
"Yes, Fanelia was my home, but once we're married and those idiots see our decision won't sway, they'll accept you as queen and our children as heirs to the Fanelian throne."  
  
"Marry? Queen? Children? Me?" She squeaked.  
  
"Well of course. Don't you still WANT to marry me Hitomi?" He asked her with a hurt look from her stunned expression.  
  
"Oh of course Van, it's just so sudden… It's like when Allen asked me to marry him…"  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Hitomi? Have you ever fallen in love?" Allen had asked her unexpectedly one evening.  
  
"Well Allen… I… I guess I've fallen in love before…" She stuttered uncertainly.  
  
"Hitomi, what do you think of me?"  
  
"I think you're handsome and very brave, and you always fight for the noble cause." She said truthfully, although she wished she could say something more.  
  
"Is that all?" He asked her, staring into her eyes with his piercing blue ones.  
  
"Well, honestly Allen, yes. And you've been a wonderful friend to me."  
  
Allen looked crestfallen at the last remark.  
  
"There's something different about you Hitomi, something that I just don't understand." Hitomi looked at him in confusion, waiting for him to finish.  
  
"But whatever that something is, it's made me fall in love with you." He whispered quietly, she paled, and stood there paralyzed, unable to do anything except stutter.  
  
"A-Allen w-what d-do y-you mean?" Why this? She'd just gone through this same thing with Van, but he'd ended up being such a jerk. Then she kissed Allen on the bridge and Van… He saw her… She'd never forget that expression of hurt, sadness, betrayal, and pain on his face. Did he really care for her as she cared for him?  
  
"Hitomi, I want you to marry me." He said smoothly, holding out a black velvet box with a diamond ring cushioned within.  
  
"I-I-I-I…" She didn't know what to say, if Van was so hurt by a kiss, how would he react to this?  
  
'Do I love Allen?' She asked herself, 'Or do I care for… Someone else?'  
  
"Please Hitomi. My heart is at ease when I'm with you. Stay with me forever." He pleaded; turning on the charm that drove the girls crazy.  
  
"Allen, I'll have to think about it." She replied in hesitation, afraid of hurting his feelings.  
  
"Fine then. Van and I are going on a mission, we leave at dawn. Tell me your answer when we return." He swiftly left the room without a glance back at her leaving Hitomi to wonder, 'Why me?'  
  
~Backflash~  
  
"I can't believe you almost married that playboy. Whenever I think what he might have done to you…" Van shivered, holding her protectively.  
  
"It was infatuation, I guess. He reminded me so much of Amano, and I was so far away from home, I needed something familiar to cling too. Unfortunately for me, Allen was that one familiar element." She said softly, crying into his shoulder.  
  
"Shhhhhh… It's OK love, everything will be OK. He's off trying to win the heart of Princess Eries, so don't worry about him. I won't let him hurt you again." Van cradled her in his arms, trying to make the painful memories go away.  
  
"I was so STUPID!" She cried in pain.  
  
"I can't believe how I acted. Just like a child, following Allen around like a lovesick puppy. I was so blind."  
  
"Hitomi, calm yourself. Everyone does this sort of thing at least once in his or her life. You got over it, that's what's important."  
  
"I'm so lucky to have someone like you." She whispered into his chest.  
  
"Me too…" He whispered, "Me too…" She laid in his arms as they prepared to enjoy their peaceful ride to wherever fate led them.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"OW!" Shuti screeched in annoyance, as her head scraped against the cobblestone streets that for some reason Lord Van and Lady Hitomi had decided to take.  
  
She quickly covered her mouth with her paws, afraid that she had been overheard from above. Hiding under a wagon for hours at a time is NOT fun.  
  
If it wasn't for Lord Daren and Lady Mira, she wouldn't be doing this, but she had promised him. After all the things they'd been through together and all those times he had protected her, she owed him something. She was just unlucky enough to be doing this for payment.  
  
'Can't Lord Van drive?! For crying out loud!' Shuti moaned within her head.  
  
'He drives like a drunk… Uh oh… Maybe he IS drunk… I have to protect Lady Hitomi!' With a great amount of effort, she leaped on top of the cart, hidden in the straw to protect her Lord's mother who had always treated her like a daughter as she had grown up alongside Prince Daren.  
  
She couldn't help but go, "Awwwwwwwwwwww…" When she saw the sweet position the king and future queen of Fanelia were in. They looked they were without a care in the world, only knowing and thinking of the love they shared. Completely oblivious to the troubles of this world.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Ria, do you have to go?" Tavu asked her in frustration.  
  
"Yes Tavu, I'm the only one left, certainly you're not suggesting that my old mother who can barely walk or the royal family should go?! I'm the only able one left, and they need someone to help out those stupid Asturian Princesses!" Ria replied, annoyed by her husband's attitude.  
  
"But what am I supposed to do with these?!" He asked her, holding up his infant triplet daughters in bewilderment.  
  
"Care for them you idiot!" She scolded.  
  
"Honestly, you need to take classes in being a dad!"  
  
"You're right about that…" He muttered, as young Kavani started to wail, making Hitora and Cera cry too.  
  
"Ria! You can't leave me alone with these three! I don't know anything about caring for children!"  
  
"Take them over to Ruvan and Nureia. I'm sure Cadira would be delighted to play with her little cousins. I think SHE likes them more than YOU do!" She hissed venomously.  
  
"Oh c'mon Ria. You know I love them, I just am new to this whole "father" thing. After all, my mom abandoned me as a small child and I don't even know who my father is." He sadly restated his depressing history.  
  
"I'm sorry Tavu. Why don't you tell me, y'know, get if off your chest? You've never told me a thing about your family before and every time a mention the word you make this weird 'grrrrrrr' sound."  
  
"I DO NOT make a 'grrrrrrrrrrrrrr' sound." He replied, trying to hold onto his shreds of dignity.  
  
"Family." Ria said, testing her husband.  
  
"Grrrrrrrrrr…" Tavu growled deep in his throat in annoyance and realizing what he'd done, tried to cover it up with a purr and start grooming his hand, but a look at his wife's face told him, 'I told you so!'  
  
~This is Tavu's story, most of which, he doesn't know. All he knows is that he grew up on the Vione and he had two mothers with no clue who his father was. ~  
  
"He's my son I tell you!"  
  
"Know, he's obviously mine, he looks just like me!"  
  
"He's too good looking to be YOUR son Naria…"  
  
"Well he has a much finer complexion then you and his fur is a nicer color!" Naria stuck her tongue out at her sister.  
  
"But notice, my DEAR sister, that his fur is blue, not silver!" Eriya observed triumphantly.  
  
"Well it's certainly not GOLD!" Naria hissed.  
  
"Well he's the son of one of us, the question is… Who is brave enough to admit it's not them?" Eriya stated, trying to find a solution to the problem.  
  
"Not me!" They stated in unison.  
  
The problem came when they had found a baby catboy at the foot of their twin beds that morning. He had blue stripes, blue hair, and dazzling purple eyes. He was a darling little creature who they both immediately took to, and decided it had to be the son of one of them. They also noticed the child's resemblance to Lord Folken… Now they were busy arguing which one of them was the boy's mother, which they had been for the last two hours, leaving the baby to sit there idly, needing a new diaper and something to eat. The infant decided to take matters into his own hands. He wailed as loud as a dragon causing them both to jump.  
  
"There there dear… It's OK." Naria soothed the troubled boy, rocking him in her arms.  
  
"Shall I get him something to eat?" Eriya asked her sister, wanting to do SOMETHING.  
  
"Yeah, and get a new diaper while you're at it. Whoooooeeeeee, this kid sure needs one!" Naria pinched her nose, and the baby, who seemed offended, shrieked.  
  
"HURRY!" Naria pleaded.  
  
"I'm going! I'm going!" Eriya dashed off into the kitchen and brought back some milk and a piece of cloth that could act as a substitute diaper for the time being.  
  
"Thanks." Naria replied, quickly changing the child and shoving the bottle the milk was in, into his mouth, which immediately ceased his wailing.  
  
"Awwwww… He's so cute…" Eriya observed, holding the baby for a moment.  
  
"Since we don't know who the heck his mom is, I guess we'll just have to raise him together…" Naria mused.  
  
"But what do we tell Lord Folken?" Eriya asked sadly.  
  
"We can't hide the child from him forever, and when he sees him, he'll quickly figure it out as we did."  
  
"It took us two hours and we STILL haven't decided who the mother is." Naria replied, still thinking.  
  
"Oh yeah." Eriya scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.  
  
"The Vione isn't that big, and we only have a few rooms at our disposal. He's a child, he needs to be outside, run around, make friends, go to school."  
  
"What should we do?" Naria moaned.  
  
"I know… We'll tell Lord Folken it's our nephew, who has come to stay with us because huntsmen killed his parents like ours were. Lord Folken feels very sympathetic for all beastmen and creatures of that sort, I'm sure he'd let us keep him if we tell him that." Eriya replied.  
  
"For once in your life sister, you've thought of something before me." Naria joyfully hugged her sister, springing up and down in excitement at the prospect of having a catboy of their own to raise.  
  
"But what shall we name him?" Eriya stopped her celebrating to ponder.  
  
"Tavu." Naria replied immediately.  
  
"Why?" Eriya asked in confusion.  
  
"Don't you remember the stories mother and father read us before they were murdered? In most of them, there was the brave Knight Tavu, who peacefully saved all of Alkazar from total annihilation! And mother once told me that in ancient Alkazarian, Tavu means, 'Ray of Sun."  
  
"That's perfect then. He'll be a ray of sunshine in our usually dismal lives. Welcome to the Vione, Tavu. Welcome home…"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Lord Folken, I'd like you to meet our nephew, Tavu, his parents were killed by hunters in Asturia, we're all that's left or our family now. May we please let him board with us my Lord?" Eriya asked calmly, never breaking eye contact with the man she loved with all her heart, although he would probably never reciprocate those same feelings.  
  
"It would mean so much to us." Naria added.  
  
They had been able to keep Tavu a secret for quite some time, but now he was talking while learning to walk, and they wished for none of the Dragonslayers to hear childish jabbering coming through the walls of the Luck Soldiers Dorm.  
  
Tavu looked up at the giant man before him, never having seen anything but catpeople his whole life, being in sole contact with his "mothers" who loved him more than any mother ever has or could. The boy slowly smiled, quickly stumbling over to the strange man and wrapping his arms around his shins, hugging him.  
  
"Dadee?" He asked in confusion, purple eyes meeting purple eyes.  
  
Naria and Eriya instantly paled, as Eriya tried to pry the toddler from Folken-sama's legs.  
  
"Forgive him Lord Folken, he's just as small boy and does not know better."  
  
Folken smiled at the girls and their guest and picked the boy up from the ground. Tavu sat in his arms for a minute until he decided to explore. Folken's metal arm was exposed and the boy ran his hand across it, breaking into a fit of giggles, then patting it, while the catgirls looked horrified.  
  
"He's charming girls. Of course he may stay, I'll see to it that a room is made into a nursery for him." Folken handed Tavu to Naria, and turned around to walk away, his cape swishing behind him.  
  
"Buh-Buy Dadee…" The baby whispered, before falling asleep in her arms.  
  
"Do you think he knows?" Eriya asked nervously, twisting her tail in her hands.  
  
"Folken-sama believes he's a relative, nothing more." Naria dismissed her little sister's concern.  
  
"Not him, Tavu!" Eriya hissed, staring at the baby in wonder.  
  
"Oh, him, I don't rightfully know, I don't think he's THAT bright… But I wonder…" She looked at the child in her arms thoughtfully, wondering what he would someday become and if he would ever know who his true parents were.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Hey, Naria! Look, I'm flying!" Tavu shrieked in glee as he soared above the ground in Naria's Tearing. They had a day off from the stress and work of the Vione as they had docked in Asturia. Lord Folken, who was like a father to the boy, and Eriya had gone out to get food since they had invited him on a picnic. Naria was showing Tavu how to operate her guymelef, since Dilandau had shown interest in taking him on as a Dragonslayer when he turned fifteen. They were both so proud of their little boy, knowing what an honor it was to even be CONSIDERED for such a position. Although he was only seven years of age, thus being far from his fifteenth rotation, they had high hopes for the bright future ahead of him.  
  
"This is SO cool!" He did several flips, diving around the trees and buildings.  
  
"Careful!" Naria called up to him.  
  
"Relax, Eriya and Folken will be back soon and I'll come down, but until then…" He stopped talking through his communicator and zoomed around.  
  
"That boy will be the death of us yet." Naria muttered, shaking her head in disgust. She smiled seeing, Lord Folken and her sister coming up the path. Since Tavu didn't know which one of them was his mother, he addressed them by their first names, and didn't address Folken-sama properly, since he was more of a fatherly figure to him.  
  
"HEY!" Naria called to them as they hurried up.  
  
"What took you so long?! This kid's driving me crazy!"  
  
"Sorry, we had to go to a ton of different stalls to find all the stuff Tavu wanted." Eriya moaned in annoyance.  
  
"I mean, where'd he come up with most of this stuff? Fried Frog Arms, I mean, who the heck eats those?!"  
  
"I guess somebody or you wouldn't have been able to find them." Naria replied.  
  
"We DIDN'T find them, Master Folken went to the Vione's Lad Storage Room since they use that sort of thing in testing.  
  
"Eww… Gross… Remind me not to eat those…" Naria commented, turning a shade of green.  
  
"All right." Eriya grinned in satisfaction, seeing her sister's look of disgust.  
  
"Hey Tavu! C'mon down!" She called up to the boy.  
  
"OK Eriya." He promptly landed, and leaped out of the tearing to join his 'family'.  
  
As they chatted, feasted, and enjoyed this short time of relaxation being with the ones they cared for, they didn't know it was the last time they'd be together again…  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Naria… Eriya… Why do you have to have an operation?" 8-year-old Tavu whined.  
  
"We want to be the best we can be, for Lord Folken's sake. It'll be great when we have intensified luck, and besides, shouldn't you be helping in the training room right now?" Eriya changed the subject, shoving the boy out the door.  
  
On his eighth rotation, since he was over half on his way to becoming 15, he began his training for the Dragonslayers. He didn't do any fighting at this point, he was required to volunteer in the training room where he set up equipment, brought towels and water to the Slayers training, and observed their fighting style and techniques so he could someday be as good as them. He got along quite well with Refina, Chesta, and Migel in particular. But now, Migel was gone, dead. Killed by that treacherous Doppelganger, Zongi, who had always been lurking around the corners, waiting for his next victim. Although Folken insisted Zongi wouldn't hurt him, Tavu wasn't so sure, and made sure to avoid the creature as much as possible. You could always tell when it was around, it made a hissing, rasping sort of sound and he'd quickly flee, not wanting to be caught alone with such a foul beast. Lord Dilandau said it was a blood-sucking demon of Hell, and had been immensely glad to have slaughtered it after it murdered his slayer.  
  
As soon as the boy had left the room, Naria asked, "Are you afraid?"  
  
"No, Lord Folken would never risk hurting us. We'll be fine, I know we will, I trust him." Eriya turned away from her sibling, walking out the door, Naria sighed, following. Worrying about what lay ahead, she had a bad feeling about it…  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Mom, are you OK?" Tavu asked, on the brink of tears, as he saw his present mother lying on the metal table, struggling with each breath as though it was her last. Sweat running down her brow, her fur matted, hair tangled, as she fought a silent scream of pain.  
  
She would be strong, for his sake.  
  
"I'm fine Tavu. I'm just fine." She tried to sit up to comfort her 'son', but it hurt too much, and she fell back, defeated.  
  
"Are you gonna die?" He barely whispered, his face etched with fear and anxiety.  
  
"I won't lie to you, Tavu. I'm going to die. I don't know when, but my death has been written." She silently stated, no feeling in the words she must have rehearsed a dozen times.  
  
"Isn't there anything I can do?!" He asked in horror at her oncoming doom.  
  
"No, my son, there's nothing to be done now." Tavu began to weep just then.  
  
"Don't cry, I love you, I'm sure Naria's fine, she'll be back soon and she can take care of you."  
  
"No, you don't understand… That was the first time you've ever called me your son…" He said rather joyfully, hugging her tightly.  
  
'I love you, Tavu, and I always will.' She drifted asleep again as Folken entered the room.  
  
"How is she?" Folken asked Tavu.  
  
"Not well I'm afraid. She says she's going to die." He was numb at this point, still not believing what a cruel card fate had dealt him.  
  
"Tavu… I'm sorry." Folken whispered, walking from the room again, as quickly as he'd come.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Naria… Eriya…" Folken whispered, as he Catgirls crouched at his side, knowing that the fortress was crashing down.  
  
"Lord Folken, please get away from here." Eriya whispered in her dying moments as the Vione shook.  
  
"There's no reason to worry about my sister and I. You don't know how happy we are to have met you." Naria continued, she had been found, only to be lost again.  
  
"And we are happy to die with you watching over us. Goodbye, Lord Folken…" Eriya stopped breathing.  
  
"Please…" Naria whispered, grabbing her Lord's robe.  
  
"Please… Take care of my son…" She then fell down dead as well, beside her sister. Forever in eternal slumber.  
  
"No…" Folken whispered, in shock that those he had saved as children, now died at his feet, still trying to protect him.  
  
His normally pale face became whiter as he strode over to Naria and Eriya's quarters. He kicked down the door since he didn't know the combination for the keypad.  
  
"TAVU!" He called into the room, worried about how terrified the boy must be. He was surprised to see that the window was open, and there was no sign of the boy anywhere.  
  
"TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUUUUU!" Zaibach's Strategos yelled, to no avail, the child had vanished. After searching again, he quickly got into what was left of Eriya's Tearing, and jettisoned away from the dying floating fortress.  
  
As he glided away, he looked back, a tear gleaming in his eyes, after he had vowed to never cry again.  
  
He thought he saw them, Naria and Eriya, floating from the Vione's wreck.  
  
"We'll always be right here, Lord Folken…" They whispered, as they disappeared again.  
  
"Why? Will someone please tell me why, my wishes never come true?" Folken whispered, as he soared into the clear-blue sky, knowing things would never be the same again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tavu had grown up into a handsome catboy; he never knew how he survived the Vione crash, when everyone else died, besides Folken, or who his parents were. All he knew was that they would forever life on, in his heart.  
  
And as Aryria, was transported down, he whispered, "I'll be waiting. Aishiteru Itooshi…"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"They're on their way." Lady Hiraki muttered.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so," Kirus replied.  
  
"Good luck, my friends, and God speed." Lady Hiraki whispered.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: How was that? I may reedit it, please point out any mistakes. Would you guys like short, frequent chapters, or long infrequent chapters? This was long to make up for all the time between this and my last posting. I hope you liked it! This was mainly background, and I enjoyed writing it. Review! And ask any questions, but NO flames! Arigatou! Ja ne! ^_~  
  
~Trunks Gal~ 


	7. Entrances and Explanations

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. It would be the saddest and most sappy anime of all time if I created it. I could wish on every freaking star in the known universe and Bandai would STILL own my Van-sama, Dilly-chan and Folkie… *Sigh*  
  
A/N: Well, I haven't updated since January 12! I'm a BAD girl, ne? Oh well, gomen, I'm just REALLY busy, as all my friends will tell you. I'll need to have at LEAST 42 reviews before posting chapter 8 after this though, k? Read poems/fics written by: Nagi-chan, Baby*chan, Kiddi Chi, NekuraTak, and fanilia! After this, I will revise a chapter of "Wings of an Angel." Before this I added the last chapter to, "Never Forget" and updated, "Folkie's Birthday." Enjoy!  
  
Note: Japanese words mean the following:  
  
Akai: Red  
  
Aishiteru: I love you  
  
Itooshi: Beloved  
  
Nani?: What?  
  
Baka: Idiot, stupid, moron, etc…  
  
Onna: Woman  
  
Mai ritoru ichi: My little one  
  
The song Lord Kosetsu describes the girl singing roughly translates to this from Japanese:  
  
The wind talks to me,  
  
And I answer it,  
  
With a whisper from my soul…  
  
A flower as blue as the sky,  
  
Floats freely in the breeze…  
  
Love is just a step away,  
  
So please answer my heart…  
  
All I know is someday I'll know…  
  
(I know it's corny and makes no sense, but I wrote it at 1:30 AM, so bear with me…)  
  
Chapter 7: Entrances and Explanations  
  
Hitomi was sailing through space. Floating past her memories. Was it really so long ago she'd abandoned that life she'd always known, to spend her days on this planet her own family barely knew the existence of?  
  
** "Sorry Yukari! I had to finish an essay! Have the boys run yet?"  
  
"It's my good-luck charm! Actually, now it's more of an heirloom from my grandmother. It's kind of neat actually, if you swing it back-and-fourth it keeps perfect time. Always one cycle a second. Never stopping, never slowing down."  
  
"To tell you the truth… I…"  
  
"Have you ever done a tarot card reading on Amano, Hitomi?"  
  
"I heard from the upper-class men that Amano's leaving the country!"  
  
"The Tower… The Card of Distant Separation… Amano's leaving the country and I'll NEVER see him again!"  
  
"The Ace of Serpents… Courage?"  
  
"If I can run 100 meters in the time it takes for the pendant to swing 13 times… I'd like you to do something special for me… Give me my very first kiss?"  
  
"I'd be honored…"  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"Van Fanel, of Fanelia!"  
  
"There's a dragon coming!"  
  
"I don't need some woman worrying about me!"  
  
"Are you always so pigheaded? I didn't save you for a reward, I just…"  
  
"HITOMI!"  
  
"I'm back…"  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"I'd say we're near the village of Arzas."  
  
"Arzas?" **  
  
Hitomi was suddenly wakened from her reveries of months ago by a strange and unfamiliar voice.  
  
"ATTENTION! YOU ARE ON SACRED GROUNDS, INTRUDERS! IDENTIFY YOURSELVES NOW BEFORE MY SHARPSHOOTERS USE YOU FOR TARGET PRACTICE!"  
  
"Huh? It can't be morning already… Five more minutes…" Van mumbled in his sleep.  
  
"Van, dear, you may want to wake up for this…" She whispered urgently into his ear.  
  
"Hitomi? What are you doing here? The Girls' Dorm is across the hall. Is it time for breakfast?" Van was only half-awake and for some reason seemed to think they were on the Crusade.  
  
"Van, I regret to inform you that are heads are about to be blown off by a bunch of homicidal catwomen. This situation deserves your attention, I believe."  
  
"NANI?" Van sprung up, blushing, realizing what he hat been muttering about.  
  
"WHAT THE HECK'S GOING ON?"  
  
"My name is General Akai, of the Alkazar Border Guard. You, ruffian, and your little wench are trespassing on our sacred land. I'd kill you now, but that is against the law here. You will receive a trial first, before I condemn you to death." Their supposed leader announced matter-of-factly.  
  
"Seize them." She ordered her vast army, as they grabbed the travelers, binding them and running off  
  
through the dense forest.  
  
If Van didn't fear for the lives of himself and his wife-to-be, he would have marveled at the magnificence of the forest. It seemed untouched by the ever-modernizing world that was Gaea. Suspended in time of centuries ago. Before the races of Earth had come to Gaea and made it their home. When the animals and beastpeople ruled supreme. When their word was law. A squirrel chattered noisily on a branch as a bird swooped down, swiping the rodent's meal with its sharp beak. A doe nursed her young fawn that looked upon the travelers trustingly, blinking its large black eyes in curiosity. The wind whistled through the untouched forest, that was in all its splendor and glory. Had all of Gaea been like this at one point? He was shocked out of his thoughts when he noticed Hitomi whimpering as she bounced along beside him, slung over the back of a troop. He reached out his hand, and took her warm palm in his rough glove, smiling reassuringly at her. Suddenly, they jerked to a halt.  
  
"My comrades," Akai began, "And prisoners," she smirked at Van and Hitomi in satisfaction.  
  
"We have arrived in Alkazar's capital. Welcome to the city of Arzas!" The catwomen hastily made their way in, eager to return home.  
  
They approached an enormous tree that seemed to reach to the very heavens themselves. Pink, silken, petals floated downward, and Hitomi reached out to catch one in her hand.  
  
"It's a cherry blossom." Hitomi whispered in amazement.  
  
"Just like at home." A tear crept down her cheek.  
  
"Hitomi?" Van asked in concern, wondering why she was so upset over a flower.  
  
"There was a cherry tree growing in my backyard, and every spring, the blossoms would swirl in the breeze. Yukari said it was truly spring when the cherry blossoms bloomed. I miss my home so much." The catwoman holding her dropped her and she fell to her knees, her tears soaking the ground.  
  
"Hitomi, you don't HAVE to stay here. No one's FORCING you." Van was rather hurt that she'd rather be on The Mystic Moon watching some silly flowers than here with him.  
  
"I…" Hitomi was about to reply, when their "escorts" all dropped to one knee, hand over heart, avoiding eye contact. She turned around to see a magnificent liter being lowered down from the highest branches of the tree. It was draped in the blossoms of the tree and there was a man seated upon it. Bodyguards lined their impressive ruler on each side. They jumped off, growling at the cats and their charges, as if daring them to attack their ruler.  
  
Hitomi got a good look at him at that point. He was a catman. He seemed to be held together by the threads of time and nothing else, so ragged and worn with age. He was draped in a blue cloak with nothing atop his head and a beard that looked endless. Every hair on his body was an ashy gray with dark black stripes and his eyes seemed clouded. He held a staff in his hand that seemed to be covered with intricate carvings she couldn't interpret.  
  
"I am Lord Kosetsu Toshinokou de Urufu. Emperor of Alkazar and its people."  
  
"Lord Kosetsu. I am honored to see you once again."  
  
"Ah, yes. King Van. You were no higher than my knee the last time Rhum brought you to the village. I hoped that I'd see you again before I return to the earth from which I came."  
  
"Come closer, child." The old man beckoned her with a bony finger.  
  
"Who me?" Hitomi squeaked in surprise.  
  
"Yes you! Move along girl!" A guard prodded her with a spear.  
  
"Ouch! No need to be pushy!" She walked forward and knelt before the Emperor.  
  
"Closer, I don't bite." He chuckled softly as she came closer. He felt her face with his wrinkled hands and smiled in pity.  
  
"Poor child. You have had a hard life, haven't you? Your father disappeared, your mother slowly losing her mind, your brother a runaway. Your grandmother, the only one who ever understood you, died many years ago, you can't go a day without missing her. Your best friend took who had been your crush for countless years. You're engaged to the man you love, but unable to be with him and as horrible as it was, you miss your home with all your heart. Truly, your life is a sad one. I'm so sorry."  
  
Hitomi looked into his eyes, wondering how he could possibly know all this. She then looked into his eyes, and noticed they were not simply clouded with wisdom.  
  
"You're blind, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes Hitomi, I lost my sight a long time ago."  
  
"Then how can you…?"  
  
"How can I see all that I can and rule Alkazar? Well, when you become a certain age, you no longer need your eyes to see. In my lifetime, I've seen more than you can possibly imagine. Some things you don't see with your eyes, Hitomi, some things you see with your heart. I do not need my eyes to see that you are a lovely young lady and Lord Van has chosen a wonderful queen for Fanelia and mother to its heir." Hitomi blushed madly, as did Van, and Lord Kosetsu just smiled.  
  
"For example, I don't need sight to know the two of you are blushing."  
  
"It was thousands of moons ago, when the Draconians sought out refuge from the Mystic Valley, and using their will, created Gaea, our world, embraced by the heavens, loved by the land, and cradled by the sea. When first created, there were no people, Draconian or otherwise. Only the creatures of the forest and the beast people. Then, man came, and thus brought sadness and destruction. My people of long ago moved deeper into the forest, to escape the colonists who constantly threatened their way of life. They hoped to live out the remainder of our race in peace, with humans never even knowing we existed, but a man named Hikui was off hunting in the great forest one day. He went to a stream for water and sat by the shore to rest and fill his stomach. After drinking from the river, he decided to take a swim. He waded out in the water and splashed about a bit before he heard someone singing.  
  
'Za kaze kaishou tame touhou,  
  
Ken watashi kaitou sore,  
  
Motte ato sasayaki kara mai tamashii…  
  
Ato kusabana mama aoi mama za sora,  
  
Yatai jizai oite za kaze…  
  
Ai tadashii ato sochi sakini,  
  
Dakara dozo ninoku mai kokoro…  
  
Zembu watashi nou itsuka watashi mune nou…'  
  
It was Joji, a catwoman from Arzas who was out washing clothes. She had long blue hair and bright pink eyes and her looks were the envy of every girl in the village. He fell in love with her at first sight. With her beautiful voice, her beauty itself, and how she seemed as graceful as a bird. He kept out of sight, so as not to alarm her, afraid to even show his face. When she finished, she started back home, and he followed her. She was much to smart for him though, and caught him before they even reached the village. She looked at him questionably, for she was like an animal, she could not speak a word of his tongue. Hikui spoke gently to her for awhile and she sat down and listened to him talk. All she could do was nod her head and smile, vaguely understanding as he told her of the world of man. He then concluded by telling her that she was the loveliest thing he'd ever set eyes on and would like to get to know her better. The foolish girl took him back to her village and introduced him to her clan. They immediately took a great dislike to the boy and were concerned, since she was to marry Riko-na, the village scholar that spring. They looked upon Hikui with annoyance since he could ruin the betrothal that had been set in stone for ages. After several weeks of watching, the couple become closer and closer they decided he had to die. Joji caught wind of their murderous ambitions and one night, she got Hikui out of his bed and dragged him into the forest, signaling for him to flee. He refused however, since he had fallen in love with her. He told her he wouldn't leave without her and asked her to stay with him always. She rejected him and he stormed off to his home, where he gathered an angry mob and led them to the beastvillage. They set it aflame and all of Arzas burned to the ground. It is called by my people 'The Night of Tears' for the millions who perished in the flames. Hikui captured Joji and forced her to come with him, leaving her homeland in ruins. She married him soon after and they had twin children. She eventually gave into her despair and died leaving her children, Kibou and Mikomi, behind. Hikui married a normal woman after Joji died and she despised her predecessor's children. To please her, he left them out in the forests, hoping they'd die and he'd forget about his life before his human wife. Kibou and Mikomi wandered many a day and found that their mother's tribe had all seemed to settle down with normal people and there were quite a few half-breeds floating about, including a rather odd tribe of human- like wolves. It is said that our God, Ragu, spoke to Kibou and promised that Neko-Hitobito and the Urufu-Hitobito would be a great nation someday. Unfortunately, slave traders then found the beastpeople's reconstructed village and captured all that were there, selling them into slavery to wealthy Gaean merchants. For the next five hundred years my people lived by the whip alone, drenched in sweat, just trying to survive. Yakusoku came to Kibou in a dream and told him that he would spend the rest of his life in bondage, but his descendants would find a way to his people's freedom. The only thing that kept them alive during the beatings, cursing, long nights, early mornings, starvation, disrespect, and cruelty was Yakusoku's promise. Your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Lord Van that declared it illegal to own a beastperson as a slave, when his personal catman slave saved his life during an assassination attempt. Kyousei, an ancestor of Kibou, led a revolt two hundred years ago, murdering thousands of masters and leading a band of beastpeople into the forest where they established Alkazar and built our capital of Arzas. He became Emperor of the catpeople and Kiba the wolfman became the wolfpeople's leader. Unfortunately, many of our people are still in slavery. Asturia and Zaibach main traders in the market. Such is the history of our people who now live in peace after so long."  
  
"However… I grow old and weary. My 100th rotation is this Saturday, as a matter of fact. My wife, Empress Oosaka died 20 years ago, and although we were very much in love, our marriage produced no children to rule our lands. All of Alkazar is doomed to perish with no leader. I can think of no one suitable to rule it in the entire kingdom. That is why I'd like to ask a favor of you, my lord and lady. Fanelia and Alkazar have been allies for as long as I can remember, and in times of need we have fallen back on the other. I know that the two of you shall be married, and when you are, you will have a great many children, I suppose the latter's a warning." He chuckled before continuing.  
  
"When your 2nd male child reaches his 15th rotation, I hope you will let him become Alkazar's emperor."  
  
Hitomi and Van didn't know what to say. For starters, they weren't even married yet, so there were obviously no heirs to even Fanelia's throne at this time. And could they really give up one of their children to the land of the beastpeople, where they might never see a human face for years at a time and be scorned by their own people for what they were? But the emperor was counting on them; thousands of lives depended on their decision. And if they thought about it, their lives could rest on this decision too. If a military dictator took control of Alkazar, he could attempt to destroy Fanelia if he wished. They'd lose no matter what they did.  
  
"Your Majesty, we will allow such a transition to take place, for the good of our alliance and your people." Van spoke solemnly.  
  
"Lord Van, you will be a great ruler. Centuries ahead the people of all Gaea shall still remember your name for what you did at such a young age." The great beast king spoke in gratitude.  
  
"And you, Lady Hitomi, shall always be remembered as the girl who saved all of Gaea. We owe both of you our lives."  
  
"I am honored to serve you, Lord Kosetsu." Van rose again.  
  
"As for you, Akai, what's the meaning of capturing these two?" The Emperor turned to face the stunned general.  
  
"I… I… I thought they were spies… And they were on the sacred burial grounds of the past emperors. Such disrespect cannot go unpunished." General Akai defended herself, her short purple hair swishing back in fourth.  
  
"Still… I believe you should be punished for arresting those who saved your very life during the Destiny War. I think a week of rebuilding should deflate your ego a bit."  
  
"But Milord! That's not fair! How was I supposed to know that these two were some great 'war heroes?'" Her lavender eyes filled with rage as she shot murderous glances back at the couple to the side.  
  
"How were you to know they weren't? A week rebuilding, General Hisui will take charge until your punishment has been served. The jade-haired second- in-command standing to Akai's right smiled for such a chance to prove herself.  
  
"Yes Emperor." She bowed, and walked away casting him a look of annoyance.  
  
"That girl needs to lighten up." Van muttered.  
  
"You mustn't be so hard on Akai," Lord Kosetsu chided.  
  
"She's led a hard life."  
  
He looked like he was going to explain further when a scout walked over and whispered something in his ear.  
  
"Yes, alright, I'll be there in a minute." The scout bowed before scurrying off.  
  
"Lord Van, Lady Hitomi, I have to leave for a council meeting now, feel free to wander about as much as you like, or I could have a guard show you to a guest house."  
  
"We'll look around if that's alright with you." Hitomi beamed at him, grabbing Van's hand and running off.  
  
Lord Kosetsu chuckled.  
  
"Van picked himself one heck of a bride."  
  
"Oh Van! Isn't it wonderful! It's so beautiful here! It reminds me of home!" Hitomi said, somewhat sadly as she walked through the Village Square.  
  
Van was a little fed-up with her homesickness at this point.  
  
"Darn it Hitomi! If you miss home so much then WHY are you staying with me?!"  
  
"Van… I…" Hitomi didn't know what to say to this sudden outburst.  
  
"Forget it. If you miss The Mystic Moon so much than find a way back there! I was a fool to think I could ever get you to stay…" Fanelia's young king ran off with a look of hurt on his face, leaving Hitomi there standing like a statue.  
  
"Because I love you Van…" She whispered. Her hair being tossed in the breeze as she sighed in frustration.  
  
"Why can't I make you understand that?"  
  
Hitomi walked around Arzas, observing the houses made of reeds and the inhabitants who seemed to be in no hurry as they went about their everyday lives. They looked so happy. So carefree. They were so lucky. She heard a familiar voice emitting from one of the huts.  
  
"Shh… Mai ritoru ichi… Shh… Everything will be all right…" A woman comforted someone. Hitomi walked into the hut the voice came from and found Akai cradling a small girl in her arms. She looked to be no more than four, yet deadly ill.  
  
A slightly older little girl stood beside her, pleading, "Don't cry Mother, it'll be OK… I promise… Please mother?"  
  
"Lady Akai?" Hitomi asked her in concern.  
  
"What is it?" Akai looked up and noticed Hitomi standing there.  
  
"I'm sorry." She apologized, standing up, still holding the little girl.  
  
"My daughter, Sa-Sa, is gravely ill, she may not live to see the next sunrise. I have to be with her. Just knowing that I'll be here with her when she takes in her last breath gives me comfort. I love her so much." Akai looked down sadly at the pale girl in her arms.  
  
"And what's your name little one?" Hitomi asked the small girl beside her dying sister and pitiful mother.  
  
"My name is Kii-Kii." The child squeaked looking up in wonder. Her eyes looked longing for something and her ribs stuck out, she had obviously not had food for weeks.  
  
"I'm 6!"  
  
"I've never seen a real person before." She touched Hitomi's hair and placed her hand to Hitomi's.  
  
"They're the same." The child observed.  
  
"Yes, they are." Hitomi smiled, knowing she'd like this child already.  
  
Hitomi got back to the matter at hand.  
  
"Why haven't you taken her to a healer?" Hitomi asked in puzzlement.  
  
"She's been to the local shaman, but he couldn't do anything for her. He told me she'd die, and I believe him. She gets weaker every day." Akai replied in an emotionless tone.  
  
"I promised Sakino that I'd keep her safe… I promised…" She began to cry and Hitomi walked over to her.  
  
"Who is Sakino?" She asked, worrying about this normally cold woman's state.  
  
"He was my husband. He's dead now. I promised him I'd take care of Kii-Kii and Sa-Sa. I was a slave in Zaibach when the Destiny War began 8 years ago and they started irradiating us. They didn't trust our loyalty since we were only half-human. I was next to die when Sakino rescued me and then, I became his bride." She paused for a moment, a dreamy look in her eyes, no doubt, reminiscing those blissful days of her youth.  
  
"He was killed in battle 3 years ago. I told him that I would take care of them.  
  
'Keep them safe itooshi, that's all I can ask for. Keep our children safe.' He told me on his deathbed.  
  
Ever since I held them in my arms at their births, I knew I wanted to protect them, but now there's nothing I can do… I can't save the life of my own child!" She began to weep as Kii-Kii hugged her reassuringly.  
  
"You can't be that much older than me, how can you have two children?" Hitomi asked in confusion.  
  
"I'm 23 years old today." Akai stated rather sadly.  
  
"Then that means you were seventeen when you had Kii-Kii…" Hitomi looked rather shocked.  
  
"Yes, I guess so. You're not from around here, so I guess you don't understand. Most girls are married off by the age of 15 or 16, you'll be considered an old maid soon, Lady."  
  
Hitomi stood perfectly still as she was hurled into visions of a painful past.  
  
** A small girl being torn from her mother's arms and being taken away.  
  
"NO! NO! DON'T TAKE HER! PLEASE! MY BABY!"  
  
"SILENCE WENCH!" The guard barked, beating the woman back.  
  
"May the gods have mercy. Protect my child." The bloody mother that was barely more than a child whispered before she uttered one final breath.  
  
"NO! MOMMY! NO! LET ME GO! MOMMY!" A younger version of Akai screamed in anguish, tears rolling down her cheeks, as her mother was no more. **  
  
** "Akai. You are to report to Lord Folken's office within the hour. You are being drafted for the intensified luck soldier experiments." A sorcerer reported menacingly, sneering at the worthless little catgirl. She was just like the other wretched beings; her only purpose was to serve them. She didn't even turn his way to acknowledge she'd heard his command, continuing to scrub the stone floor.  
  
"Ah. Still don't know your name, eh girl? Well, I'll teach you some manners!" He slapped her across the face, hurtling her into the wall; she still didn't look up.  
  
"YOUR NAME IS AKAI. YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A SLAVE AND THAT'S ALL YOU'LL EVER BE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, TOUGH! IT'S THE WAY THINGS ARE!" The sorcerer barked, when he still got no response, he then had a delicious idea of how to get her to obey.  
  
"Or, if you're unwilling to cooperate, perhaps I can persuade you by burning what's left of your village down. I'll tell your people they're dying because of one little girl's stubbornness. Now wouldn't that be a pity?" He cackled seeing the flicker of fear on the girl's face. She would die without caring, but the ultimate dishonor to a beastperson was to be considered a traitor by their village. They'd do anything to uphold their honor, which some though quite noble, but this sorcerer like many others, just thought it stupid and used it to their advantage.  
  
"My name is Princess Reu-Reu Nurei de Urufu. I am the daughter of Lord Kosetsu and Lady Oosaka. I am from the imperial capital of Alkazar, Arzas. That is who I am. You can starve me, beat me, you can deprive me of very life itself. But, No one, not even you, can ever take my name away from me. Or my pride." Akai spoke with dignity.  
  
"Very well spoken, my young princess. But you see, you're in Zaibach now. I could take your very soul if I wished for it. Taking away your memory is but a trifle with our advanced technology." The sorcerer smirked.  
  
"Jajuka." He whispered more than commanded.  
  
A dogman entered the room and looked very sad when he eyed young Akai.  
  
"Not another one, Milord…"  
  
"Yes, another one, Jajuka, we'll try to overlook your failure with the last one. But I warn you Jajuka. Screw this one up and you're dragon food." The sorcerer glided away, leaving the little catgirl with the tall dogman.  
  
"You've come to save me, haven't you!" Akai remarked hopefully.  
  
"Father must have sent you, you're one of our allies, after all. These wretches will pay for capturing Alkazar's Princess. Won't they Jajuka?" She looked up at him and his eyes didn't look at all hopeful.  
  
"My dear, sweet, princess… As always, I am your faithful servant, but I cannot help you on this one. I have been a slave to Zaibach since I was no bigger than you. I have been raised my entire life to serve Emperor Dornkirk and his sorcerers. I have seen sweet little children, like yourself, turned into monsters with Zaibach technology. I have seen most of them die and be thrown off the deck of the Vione as if they were nothing more than a piece of trash. They were just rejects, after all. I was born in Zaibach and I will die in Zaibach. They own my body, but they can never own my spirit, and its allegiance is with your parents. Long live the Emperor! Long live Alkazar!" Jajuka bowed to her.  
  
"I can only be your friend, but you must not like me. Or I may have to kill you… Do you understand?" He looked at her pleadingly.  
  
"Yes, Jajuka, truly you are a honorable man and will rise to great heights someday. I'm sure of it." She smiled at him as he took her hand and led her away. **  
  
**Akai watched in horror as the blue serum was injected into a vein in her arm. The needle was sharp… Ooh how it stung as it pierced her flesh… She felt like she was dreaming, but she wasn't tired… Everything was fading away, nothing made sense… The room began to spin as everything slowly turned to white… All she knew was, through it all, Jajuka had held her hand…**  
  
**Jajuka watched Akai stumble around the gardens on the sorcerer's ship in pity for the girl. She wandered around in her lavender skirt and blouse, her black cloak floating about her. She looked at a flower and picked it, staring at it.  
  
"Why'd you erase her memory sir?" Jajuka asked the sorcerer standing beside him, observing their latest experiment.  
  
"Jajuka, you know as well as I do why we did it. For science. To find out if it was possible to make a person forget their entire lifetime. We could use such a chemical in battle to confuse the enemy into forgetting who they're fighting and what for."  
  
"But isn't it unethical to perform such experiments on an innocent child? Does it ever trouble your heart that every day we ruin the lives of hundreds of children who will never grow up to realize their dreams? That hundreds of children who are captured for Zaibach's research will never see their homes or families again and may not live to see the next sunrise? Sometimes, I can't sleep. Nightmares haunt me of all the children I've destroyed." Jajuka said solemnly, never taking his eyes of Akai.  
  
"It is for the greater good of Gaea. Should we experiment on soldiers? On are own people? How about you Jajuka? We could hook you up to a machine and see how you work, inject you with chemicals, and find out if certain chemicals are toxic. Is that the kind of life you wish to lead? Nothing more than a lab rat? These children are paving the road to our glorious future… Don't think of it as killing them, think of it as giving them a greater purpose." The sorcerer replied emotionlessly.  
  
"Do you really believe what you're saying?" Jajuka asked quietly, staring the sorcerer in the eyes.  
  
"That we can justify our murders of children by saying it's for the good of all? When thousands of men, women, and children die each day in these bloody wars that haven't ceased since the dawn of man? I am surprised we can live with ourselves? I know I can't…" He stared at him straight in the eyes and the sorcerer knew this is what he truly believed.  
  
"You weak, insolent, fool!" He slapped Jajuka across the face, knocking him to the hard pavement.  
  
"Never talk back to your superior! Nor shall you look one in the eye!" He snapped.  
  
"Believe what you wish, Jajuka. But I guarantee that your weakness will lead to your downfall!" The man hobbled away, cursing the dogman under his breath.  
  
"So be it…" Jajuka muttered, continuing to watch the small girl, that he believed, had no future. **  
  
** "GIRL!" Lord Dilandau summoned Akai who groaned before heading over to her red-eyed commander.  
  
"You called, oh grand master?" Akai asked sarcastically, fingering her feather duster, she had been using a minute ago.  
  
"Watch your tongue, girl. You're my girl, might I add. I should sentence that 'boyfriend' of yours, Hajimuru, to death for just looking at you. The sorcerers gave you to me, after all, and you prove to be the worst hired help I've yet to see. You're nothing more than a worthless slave." He smirked at her anger from his statement.  
  
"First, I'm NOT just a little girl anymore Dilandau-sama! GET USED TO IT!"  
  
"You still act like a sniveling little brat, so why should I treat you as anything better?"  
  
"Secondly, Hajimuru is my best friend, not my boyfriend. Not like you'll ever be such. I loathe you, after all. If you kill him, I'll die as well. But you'd like that, wouldn't you? Ever since you came here you've despised me. I still remember when the sorcerers 'gave me' to you for your 5th birthday and you started clapping and shrieking, 'Look! I have a wench!' You were such a cute little kid, too bad you grew up to be such a jerk!" She tossed her lavender hair over the side of her shoulder with a humph.  
  
"I'm hot and you know it! You're just jealous that you look like you got mauled by a dragon!" Dilandau commented, leaning back in his chair, his tiara sliding down to cover his eyes.  
  
"Sure ya are Dilly…" She rolled her eyes.  
  
"NEVER call me that, EVER again!" He leaped from his chair and grasped her neck, nearly choking her.  
  
"Dilandau… Please don't…" She whispered, staring into his glassy crimson orbs that were filled with anger. (A/N: I added the crimson thing for you Washu-chan… Lol…)  
  
Dilandau released her neck from his iron grasp and she sighed in relief, rubbing her nearly broken neck.  
  
"You know what Dilandau… You may have the power of life or death over me, but I will NEVER be as worthless as you. You have no family, no friends, only your future to serve Emperor Dornkirk until you become inefficient and you are disposed of. That's what I call worthless." She walked over to the bay window and sat in a chair, staring out at the sun setting over the western mountains. The Mystic Moon glowed like a priceless azure in the sky, with its child forever beside it.  
  
"My family's out there, somewhere, Dilandau. Sometimes, I can feel my mother hugging me and my father kissing me goodnight. I have dreams of my life before I was captured, before my enslavement when I was my own person. I see endless forests, clear blue water, and millions, just like me. I'm supposed to not remember anything. And I suppose technically, I don't. It's just emotions; it's impossible to forget them. I just have to find them, Dilandau."  
  
Dilandau walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder and she could almost swear he was smiling. Lord Dilandau NEVER smiled.  
  
"Do you really know that your family's out there?"  
  
"It's not a sense of knowing, it's a sort of instinct. I can feel them."  
  
"You don't seem to realize how lucky you are." He commented in a monotonous voice, staring out over the sea.  
  
"If this is lucky, I don't want to see unlucky." Akai commented without much hope evident in her voice.  
  
"You have a family out there somewhere… With a father, and a mother… Who love and miss you…"  
  
"And you Dilandau?" She asked, returning her focus to him.  
  
"I have no one."  
  
"You'll always have me." She whispered, hugging the 10-year-old in sympathy.  
  
"I know. I know." He replied, before drifting off to sleep. **  
  
** "Hajimuru… No… Don't leave me… I love you Hajimuru…" Akai whispered over her friend's broken bloody body that lied in the road. He was in this condition because of who he was. A gang of drunken Asturians had attacked him on his way to Palas with a message for the king from Lord Folken. He hadn't done anything wrong. They had cursed him for being a catman and a soldier of Zaibach. Now he was dying, and the healers refused to help since he was just a worthless foot soldier, and a slave at that. Too worthless to waste medication on. Hajimuru wasn't worthless. He was a living breathing person, just like them, with thoughts, feelings, ideas, and a life of his own. And they were just going to let him suffer in tormenting pain until he died.  
  
"Don't cry for me, Akai. Be strong. For me. OK? I hate to see you cry." He whispered softly, blood dripping from his mouth as he struggled to keep his eyes open.  
  
"Just remember, that I will… always… love you… No matter what anyone else says… No matter where I go… My heart will always be yours…" She stuttered between onslaughts of tears, hugging him tightly.  
  
As his pulse became weaker and his skin became cool, he whispered one last sentiment.  
  
"I… love… you…" Before his eyes shut for what he thought would be the final time.  
  
"I will see you in heaven." He muttered before his heart ceased beating.  
  
"HAJIMURA! NO!" She screamed in denial, as a man came to take his body away and Dilandau appeared, embracing her as she cried endlessly into the night. **  
  
** A silent figure crept through the window. Akai's excellent hearing picked up a creak of the floorboards and she crept out of bed without a sign, sneaking up behind the intruder and pinning him to the ground.  
  
"Who are you?" She demanded.  
  
"And what are you doing in my room?"  
  
"My name is Sakino. I am a soldier of Alkazar's Imperial Army. I have been sent to retrieve any beastpeople being held prisoner. And that means you doll-face." The catboy who looked about her age of seventeen. He had forest green hair and was covered in stripes with a long tail. He had deep green eyes that seemed to be looking through her. Her bright crimson eyes stared into his in amazement. Besides for Naria and Eriya, she hadn't seen a fellow catperson in years.  
  
"C'mon girl, we have no time to waste. We'll be going now." He grabbed her hand and tried to lead her back through the window.  
  
"Why should I go with you?" She asked him in annoyance at his bossiness, jerking back from his grasp.  
  
"Because, if not, you'll die."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Zaibach is disposing of all their experiments and slaves. They don't wish to be caught with them when the Alliance Troops come to rescue survivors. The war is over."  
  
"The War of Dragons? It's finally over?" She asked in disbelief. She had never lived a day without fear that that day would be her last and that they'd be attacked at any given moment. The Crimson War had begun 50 years ago, when Zaibach's long-dead emperor had attacked Godasim and Scezario, burning both countries to the ground. Fanelia, Asturia, and Freid had come to their aid, forming an alliance against Zaibach. Nuclear weapons were being tested by Zaibach and one day; they blew Fanelia sky high, leaving Asturia and Freid to continue fighting the losing battle. Millions of citizens of opposing countries had been captured and taken as slaves  
  
"Yes, Zaibach has lost. Come with me, you'll be safe in our homeland." He said softly.  
  
"What's your name anyway?"  
  
"Akai. My name is Akai."  
  
"That's a human name. They took away your identity it seems. I'm surprised they didn't chop off your tail." He muttered.  
  
"What's your given birth name, girl?"  
  
"My name is Akai." She repeated.  
  
"I don't want your slave name. What was your childhood name that you can be identified by? You know, the name you are given until you turn 15 and then you go on your spirit quest and earn yourself a full name. For example, my old name was Se-Se."  
  
"I don't know. They erased my memory when I was captured. I only know the name the sorcerers gave me. I know nothing of my home or family."  
  
"Poor girl." He said in pity.  
  
"Come, it's late, are there any other beastpeople here?"  
  
"Naria, Eriya, Jajuka… But I don't know if you could get them to leave. I can' leave either. What about my friends, my commander, my country?"  
  
"I will be back tomorrow night. You have until then to make your decision. Between life and death. The choice is yours. I will return, my fair lady." He bowed before her, kissing her hand before escaping into the night. She sighed, he seemed like a nice boy. She couldn't leave Dilandau; he was her best friend since Hajimura died, and her leader besides that. She was willing to lay her life down on the line for him.  
  
"Nighttime visitors, huh?" The silver-haired commander stepped from the shadows into the ray of moonlight seeping through the blinds.  
  
"He was like me." She told him.  
  
"Just like me."  
  
"I hope you find true love, Akai. And all the happiness in the world." Dilandau whispered before going back to his room, a hurt look on his face  
  
"Dilandau, wait! It's not what you think!" She told him, grabbing his arm. His eyes portrayed a look of despair and inner pain.  
  
"Forget it." Dilandau muttered, pulling away and running down the halls of the Vione to his chambers, leaving Akai to puzzle her past on her own. **  
  
** "Lord Folken is dead. Lord Dilandau is dead. The Dragonslayers are dead. Jajuka is dead. The Intensified Luck Soldiers are dead." A scout reported to what was left of Zaibach's slaves and soldiers. Akai was there, tears rolling down her cheeks. Dilandau was gone? How could it be? He was so full of life, so energetic, practically insane… Who had killed her commander? Whoever it was would pay! For Dilandau wasn't just her master, he was her very best friend. The word going around was that all slaves were to be killed tomorrow morning at dawn.  
  
"So this is it? The final act?" She asked quietly.  
  
"It would seem so…" An elderly woman whispered, tears welling in her lives.  
  
"When I was born I was taken from my home on Zaibach's borders to become a slave of the empire because of my family's debts. I'm now well past sixty. I have served them faithfully and cared for most of their officials and soldiers when they were just children themselves. I was born in Zaibach and I will die in Zaibach, there is no question of that. If the end of the line has come, then I fully welcome it. I am old and have seen more than I ever wished to. But you, child, you're young and strong. You have such potential, such promise... You don't deserve to die like this. No one deserves to die like this." She hobbled away, a look of sadness etched across her wrinkled face.  
  
"She's right. No one deserves to die like this. Not even a 'worthless' slave like me." She whispered.  
  
'Please Sakino, save me. You're my last hope…'  
  
That night, there was a banging on the window in the tenement the remaining slaves were being stationed in. Akai arose, still in her lace-trimmed cotton nightgown. She drew the blinds as a rock pinged against the glass. She opened the window and a rock hit her in the head.  
  
"HEY! YOU JERK! THAT HURT!" She screamed in rage at who she knew to be Sakino down below.  
  
"Sorry Babe, noting my last entrance, I thought breaking your window would be better than being nearly strangled." He smirked at her and she knew he had a point.  
  
"Well, what do you want?!" She screamed down.  
  
"Ouch, watch the ears! Mine are just as sensitive as yours!" He rubbed them to emphasize his point and Akai grinned apologetically.  
  
"Sorry about that, well anyways, why are you here, Sakino?"  
  
"I'm here to play your knight in shining armor and save you from the evil dragon!"  
  
"There are no dragons in Zaibach!" She called down.  
  
"Not THOSE kind of dragons, baka!"  
  
"WHO are YOU to be calling ME stupid?!" She hissed at him.  
  
"I meant the guys who are going to kill you come dawn. Which is…" He checked his watch.  
  
"1 hour away…"  
  
"Oh wow, it's morning already?" She looked surprised, and then noticed her clock was 4 hours off.  
  
'It figures…'  
  
"WELL MAKE WITH THE RESCUING OH 'HANDSOME' PRINCE!" She screeched down at him.  
  
"SHUT UP ONNA! YOU'LL WAKE THE DEAD!" He yelled back, looking at her in annoyance.  
  
"I'M NOT WOMAN! I HAVE A NAME! AND MY NAME IS AKAI!"  
  
"DO YOU WANT TO BE RESCUED OR NOT?!" He was getting a little impatient by now.  
  
"Well if you're gonna be rude about it, then maybe I'll just die! At least then I won't have to see your ugly face!" That was a lie, he was really quite handsome with those emerald eyes and deep green locks. Augh, no, what was she thinking, this jerk was openly insulting her, she shouldn't be thinking how cute he was… She was suddenly pulled backwards as she tried to walk away.  
  
"As much as you annoy me milady, I can't just let you die. I might get in trouble." The boy grinned at her and she growled.  
  
"Let go of me right now or I'll scream and we'll just see who'll die tonight…" She whispered, her eyes gleaming with rage.  
  
"Jeez! I'm just trying to help you for crying out loud!" He defended himself.  
  
"C'mon, I don't want you to die, is that SO horrible?"  
  
"I guess not… But at least let me get my things alright?"  
  
"No time!" He tried to pull her towards the window, but she resisted, landing a good kick in the face.  
  
"I'm getting my things." She told him, walking across the room and leaving him bruised on the floor.  
  
"Women…" He muttered in disgust, rubbing his aching face.  
  
Akai searched the room for any items she might find worth bringing. She found nothing she felt like bringing along except her locket. It probably had pictures of her family in it, but the clasp was jammed shut making it impossible to open. She kept it, reminding her that someday she'd find her family, no matter how long it took.  
  
"Let's go!" She said, grabbing the necklace while pulling a black cloak over her head and jumping out the window.  
  
"You idiot! There's no rope!" Sakino cursed.  
  
She landed perfectly, without a scratch.  
  
"I guess it's true that cats always land on their feet, isn't it?" She smirked, glancing up at him triumphantly.  
  
"I guess so." He was quite surprised she hadn't been killed.  
  
'You're just a lucky girl, I guess.' He climbed down the drainpipe before reaching her impatiently tapping her foot on the ground.  
  
"Let's get going!" She hissed to him, dashing off into the night, her cape swishing in the evening breeze. **  
  
** "Akai, will you marry me?" Sakino was down on one knee in the middle of the forest. Akai had lived in Alkazar for a few days, and already he knew she was his soulmate. He had invited her on a picnic that afternoon and this proposal was an unexpected one.  
  
"Sakino, I don't know… I just met you…" Akai was uncertain.  
  
"Akai. At first I thought you were just some lowly slave, unworthy of our people, but then I got to know you. And now, when you're not around, I find myself looking for you…"  
  
"Please… I love you, Akai… Please be mine…"  
  
"Sakino… You're the only one who's shown true kindness to me since Lord Dilandau died. I guess I could stand spending the rest of my life with you, if you can stand me."  
  
"If I couldn't stand you, why would I be proposing to you?"  
  
"I don't know. But I'll marry you, Sakino. Just promise me something… Promise you'll never leave me…"  
  
"I won't. Why would I?"  
  
"I don't know. But all I know is this is the happiest day of my life…" She whispered, kissing him passionately.  
  
'Maybe things will finally get better…' **  
  
** "General Akai, I regret to inform you that your husband, General Sakino, is dead. He died a warrior's death in battle against the enemy. You should be proud of him, he was a great man, a great soldier, and an even greater friend." The scout stood at attention and he had tears in his eyes as he spoke quietly, trying to remain in control of his emotions.  
  
"Thank you soldier. Return to your regiment. Dismissed." She fought back tears.  
  
'Oh Sakino… You promised… You promised me you'd never leave me… You lied… How could you?' She broke down on the ground, sobbing into the newly green grass.  
  
"Why? Why does everyone I care about die? Hajimuru… Dilandau… Naria… Eriya… Sakino… They're all gone… And now, of all times, he's gone. What will become of our baby that has no father Sakino? My dear, sweet children will never see you again. Kii-Kii, your father loved you." She cuddled the sleeping toddler in her arms, hugging her daughter tightly.  
  
The kitten stirred, opening her eyes slowly and looking up at her holder. It was Mommy.  
  
"Mommy, where's Daddy? He promised me he'd come home soon! Where is he?" The small Kii-Kii let out a yawn, looking into her mother's lavender eyes in curiosity.  
  
"Daddy isn't coming home. Your Daddy cared about you so much, he died to keep you safe." Akai whispered, her eyes tearing at the sad reality of her fatherless child.  
  
"Why Mommy?"  
  
"It's called love, dear. It's called love." She whispered, as the grief- stricken family comforted each other in the only way they knew how.  
  
"My Daddy loved me. Yes he did." Kii-Kii whispered before falling asleep again.  
  
"He loved me too, darling. He loved me too." Akai looked into the starry sky above, thinking only of what the future held and the child she and her late-husband had been expecting. **  
  
** "Mommy! Mommy!" Four-year-old Kii-Kii ran through the door of her family's modest hut.  
  
"Kii-Kii, dear, what's wrong?" Akai looked up from knitting a baby shirt to see her daughter in tears.  
  
"I don't have a Daddy!" The small girl whimpered.  
  
"Kii-Kii, you do have a daddy, he just can't be with us, that's all."  
  
"That's not good enough. I want a daddy who will help me fly kites and give me rides on his horse. And take me fishing. And read me a bedtime story and tuck me in at night! Everybody else has a daddy to do all those things with and I don't. Why Mommy? It's just not fair. Mari-Mari has a daddy, Riu-Riu has a daddy, even Vie-Vie has a daddy! So how come I don't? I don't understand…"  
  
"Kii-Kii, now what would your dad say if he knew you didn't care about him since he's dead? He died to protect you. That's more precious than anything Mari-Mari or Vie-Vie's dads ever do or ever will do. He loved you Kii-Kii, I think that should be what matters." Akai went back to her knitting, disgraced at her daughter's disrespect for her dead husband. She understood how hard it was having only one parent, but it wasn't easy having no husband either. If Kii-Kii wanted to succeed in life, she'd have to toughen up. Like she had.  
  
The little girl had a hurt expression from her mother's scolding as she prepared to rejoin her friends.  
  
"I love you Mommy." She whispered before darting back outside.  
  
"I love you too, Kii-Kii. I love you too." **  
  
** "Wow Mommy, she's so tiny!" Kii-Kii gazed in wonder at her newborn baby sister.  
  
"Yeah, she sure is. She's a squirt, just like you were." Akai grinned at her daughter, holding her new baby in her arms.  
  
"What's her name, Mother?"  
  
"Her name is Sa-Sa."  
  
"That's a pretty name. What'll be her name when she's old?" The child asked in curiosity, knowing when she turned fifteen her name would change from childish Kii-Kii to Akirame, a much more grown-up name. Unknown to Kii-Kii, her adult name meant 'consolation.' Since she was the only thing that kept Akai from ending it all.  
  
"Saki."  
  
"That's a nice name. What's it mean Mother?"  
  
"It means, 'end.'" Akai whispered. This was the finale of her relationship with Sakino. She'd finally have to move on.  
  
'Goodbye Sakino. I'll always love you.' **  
  
** "And with this sword, I dub thee, Lady Akai, General of the Border Guard." Aging Lord Kosetsu gave Akai her new position. She'd waited so long; she'd worked so hard. She'd gone from rank to rank, starting as a lowly foot soldier and now she held the highest position in Alkazar's military. She was to keep the humans out with a glorious army at her disposal. This was what she'd always dreamed of, and now it was finally in her grasp. As Kii-Kii held Sa-Sa, on the sidelines amongst the cheering crowd and Akai, General Akai, was handed the ancient general's sword that had been passed down for over a hundred generations, she truly felt that he life was turning around. **  
  
** There had been whispers of a great plague sweeping the lands. It affected no pure blood human, but the people of Alkazar were not of pure blood descent. Most of Arzas's families had been struck by it, no one was safe. There was no medication to prevent it, and no cure. All you could do was pray to almighty Ragu that your family would be spared. Thousands had died and thousands were at death's door. On the doors of those who had a loved one fighting their demise, an image of Ragu, the god of beasts that they trusted with their very souls.  
  
It was said that on one of Dicha's journeys, he had come across Ragu, a deformed beast who was a crossbreed of a wolf and tiger. This was before Dicha became a god, when he was just a normal man wandering Gaea, trying to guide its people towards a greater good. Ragu challenged Dicha to fight him to the death to prove his strength since he had nothing left to live for. The two fought and Dicha was easily defeated. He was ready to die, but Ragu spared him. He said that it was not for him to decide who was to live and die that day. Hurio, the only god of the day saw his act of mercy and gave him the gift of immortality, since it was a rare thing to see something like that from a beast such as Ragu. He later proved himself to have great worth and changed the lives of many and saved many lives by persuading his fellow beasts not to kill a wary traveler for the thrill of it as was the custom. Dicha had long since become a god for his life as a prophet and his overall goodness and when Ragu was to die, he remembered him and what he'd done. He made Ragu a god over all creatures of Gaea. No matter how big or small, and that's how it has been ever since.  
  
The temples were filled with weeping mothers, widows, and orphaned children, begging Ragu for guidance for their troubled hearts. The main temple of Negaigoto overflowed with beasts of all sorts inflicted by the disease. Akai went there every day with Kii-Kii and Sa-Sa, making it a part of their every-day routine, begging for them to be spared by leaving offering on Ragu's alter. The ruby eyes of the marble statue decorated in emeralds and azures seemed to look right through the family as they knelt before him.  
  
Alas, it was not to help them. It took a while, but eventually, young Sa-Sa starting acting up. She coughed and sputtered and her head was hot to the touch. What little could be forced down her throat was immediately hacked back up. She didn't want to play and when she tried to walk as she was learning at the time, she promptly fell backwards on her head. She became pale and her small amount of hair fell out. Akai took her to the healer, and he diagnosed it as the plague and told her there was nothing to be done and to keep her comfortable in her final days. **  
  
Hitomi shook her head as the vision ended. It hurt so much, it took so long, but it had been most of Akai's life so she supposed it should take a while.  
  
'She doesn't know that Lord Kosetsu is her own father. She's the heir to the throne of Arzas!' Hitomi thought excitedly.  
  
"I understand." She whispered, hugging the hostile catwoman.  
  
"What?" Akai asked in curiosity, thinking the seeress had finally lost what little sense she had to begin with.  
  
"Why you're how you are. It was horrible for you, wasn't it? The war, being separated from your family to be Zaibach's slave, Sakino's death and now Sa- Sa is going to die too. My dear lady, your life had been unbearable. I am so very sorry you have suffered so much."  
  
"But how?" Akai looked on in wonder.  
  
'Maybe there's more to Lady Hitomi than I originally thought.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Van wandered the streets of Alkazar's capital.  
  
'Darn. Why does she play with my emotions like this? If she loves me then why can't she be content to stay with me and forget about the blasted Mystic Moon?!'  
  
Because it's her home. You tore her away from her home; Van Fanel and you're still not satisfied.   
  
'Shut up!' Van hated it when his conscious plagued him.  
  
You love her, don't you, Van Fanel? Then why can't you accept the way she is? Are you enough of a reason to keep her here?   
  
'She's my fiancée, I think she loves me!'  
  
But are you worthy of her love, Van Fanel?   
  
'How should I know?'  
  
You will figure it out…  
  
"LORD VAN!" A voice called out from the bustling Village Square.  
  
"Is that…?" Van wondered aloud, looking to see that his theory was correct.  
  
"RHUM!" Van ran over to where the wolfman was standing.  
  
"Milord, what brings you to my humble little village?" Rhum asked in curiosity.  
  
"Well, I brought…" He was about to say Hitomi, but knew Rhum would plague him about it.  
  
"… A friend with me to escape my council. I can't stand them!"  
  
"You can't fool me Lord Van! You brought Lady Hitomi, didn't you? I knew you couldn't let her go. That one's a keeper. I could tell you liked her, it's pretty obvious, you know. So where is the little lady? Has she seen Fanelia yet? Have you popped the question?"  
  
"Honestly Rhum… You're worse than Merle…" Van commented in amusement.  
  
"Beg pardon milord… I can't help it… If interests me so…"  
  
"You need to get some new hobbies my friend." Van said.  
  
"You haven't answered any of my questions yet!" Rhum whined.  
  
"Yes, I did bring Hitomi. She is off somewhere I care not to know of. Yes, she has seen Fanelia and yes, I did pop the question and we're engaged. But at the rate things are going, the gods only know how long…"  
  
"What do you mean by that? Besides your constant bickering the two of you seemed to get along quite well."  
  
"She wants to go home Rhum, and who could blame her? I mean, what can I offer her, a burned up castle and a bunch of trees. Who would wish to make Fanelia their home now?"  
  
"Obviously a lot of people or there wouldn't be so many people rebuilding." Rhum commented.  
  
"Lord, you couldn't have done anything. It wasn't your fault."  
  
"I feel responsible, and now I'm running away from my problems with a woman who doesn't love me."  
  
"Lord Van, I've known you since you were no higher than my knee. I've seen you grow up from an annoying little prince to an honorable young ruler of a country that loves you. I also know that that girl loves you. She returned didn't she? She hasn't seen her homeland for quite some time, cut her some slack! How would you feel if you were to leave Fanelia forever? You have to try to see things through her eyes…"  
  
"You do have a point Rhum… Maybe I haven't been very understanding…"  
  
"Talk to her Lord Van… I'm sure if you tell her how you feel; you both will feel better… Oh yes, you and Lady Hitomi may rest in my home during your stay here. I won't be leaving to cargo things to Fanelia for another week… Alkazar is a beautiful little country, I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here."  
  
"Thank you Rhum. I really do appreciate it. We are strangers in a strange land."  
  
"You show me and my men such hospitality during our merchant ventures in Fanelia, it's the least I can do. Besides, I think that you and Lady Hitomi make a cute couple." The wolfman grinned, causing Van to blush.  
  
Van walked off, as blossoms from Lord Kosetsu's tree rained around him.  
  
"They are pretty." He whispered, catching one in his hand.  
  
* Flashback *  
  
i"They approached an enormous tree, that seemed to reach to the very heavens themselves. Pink, silken, petals floated downward, and Hitomi reached out to catch one in her hand.  
  
"It's a cherry blossom." Hitomi whispered in amazement.  
  
"Just like at home." A tear crept down her cheek.  
  
"Hitomi?" Van asked in concern, wondering why she was so upset over a flower.  
  
"There was a cherry tree growing in my backyard, and every spring, the blossoms would swirl in the breeze. Yukari said it was truly spring when the cherry blossoms bloomed. I miss my home so much." The catwoman holding her dropped her and she fell to her knees, her tears soaking the ground./i  
  
* End Flashback *  
  
Hitomi suddenly wandered into his field of vision. He ran over to her and noticed the little girl in her arms.  
  
"HITOMI! I've been looking for you!"  
  
"Yes Van. We need to talk."  
  
"Hitomi, I'm sorry… I wasn't very understanding and I've come to apologize…"  
  
"There's no time for that now…"  
  
"This is Sa-Sa… She's going to die Van… Unless I help her…"  
  
"Where'd you find her?"  
  
"She's Akai's youngest daughter…"  
  
"No way! That witch has children?!"  
  
"This entire race may die out if we don't do something… That's why I've made my decision…"  
  
"What decision?"  
  
"I'm traveling to Zaibach… They're the only ones I can think of who can find the cure. Otherwise, the plague will just continue to spread and eventually they'll all die… I've seen their demise in a vision… Oh Van… It was so horrible… All the planet's water turned into blood, locusts ate all the crops, all the forests burned down… The dragons wept…"  
  
"Hitomi… I agree that this is a sticky situation, but do you realize how dangerous it is to go to that country?! Even with its collapse, there are still thousands of people there who are determined to eliminate the seeress and the dragon who ruined their way of life. Not to mention many of their sorcerers are alive and well… It's like walking into a death trap…"  
  
"That's what you're for… You'll protect me, right?"  
  
"What else could I do? I promise to protect you on my honor…" He bowed before her.  
  
"Lady Akai, Sa-Sa, and her other daughter, Kii-Kii, will be accompanying us. I promised Akai I'd save her daughter. We leave at dawn…"  
  
"Do we have to bring them? Two brats and a demoness?"  
  
"Don't talk about them like that! If you don't want to help me then I'll go by myself! And if I die it'll be all your fault!"  
  
"Alright… Alright… Dawn then… Oh yeah, and Hitomi…" He was about to walk away when he looked back over his shoulder.  
  
"Huh?" What was he going to say?  
  
"I still love you even if you hate me…" He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before dashing off.  
  
"Meet you in the Village Square! Be ready!"  
  
Hitomi touched her cheek where he kissed her.  
  
"Oh Van… I still love you… Nothing you do could ever change that…" But he was out of earshot and could not hear her confession of eternal devotion.  
  
A/N: Wow! I started writing this 3 weeks ago! ^_^; The chap's done FINALLY! What a relief! I hope you guys like it! Tell me what ya think, I need at least 42 reviews total before I'll update, but it may take longer because of my billion other fics… I tried doing one section using html, I do not know if it will work… I'm thinking of writing an AU where Hitomi is an assassin out to kill Van for Zaibach… What do you guys think of the idea? I've written a couple chapters for it… I'll wait until I finish a few other fics though! Thanks for reading and (hopefully) reviewing! I really appreciate it! Ja matta ne tomadachi! ^_^  
  
~Trunks Gal~ 


	8. An Arrival and A Departure

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne. I never will. But I do own my cute little Daren and all my catgirls and Akai and the twins and Van's long lost sister and Van's nephew and a bijillion other made up characters! BANDAI AND SUNRISE CAN NEVER TAKE THEM AWAY FROM ME!!! * Grabs characters and runs away *

A/N: It's been awhile… Waz up y'all? I hope you like this chapter! I've decided that this fic will be between 10-15 chapters long at the most, I don't think I can wrap it up in 10… We'll just have to wait and see… IT WILL BE FINISHED THIS SUMMER!!! Read and Review! Arigatou!

Chapter 8: An Arrival and A Departure

Hitomi stood there silently, holding the squirming Sa-Sa and staring off into space.

"Why can't I make him understand?"

"LADY HITOMI!!!" The small girl squealed as her face became a light tint of blue.

"Ah!" Hitomi looked in surprise to notice she had a death hold on the poor girl and released her.

  
"Arigatou…" Sa-Sa muttered, rubbing her neck.

"Oh, you poor thing, let's get you back home…" Hitomi scooped her up and took her over to where Akai and Kii-Kii were waiting.

"When are we leaving, Lady Hitomi?! WHEN?! WHEN?! WHEN?!" Kii-Kii shrieked in excitement. Akai clamped a hand over her daughter's big mouth.

"Excuse her, she's never seen anything outside out of the capital gates." Akai said quietly.

"So, I assume that everything's in order?"

"Yes, as you might have already guessed, Van is rather annoyed at the prospect of traveling to Zaibach, but I told him that if I died because he wasn't there, he'd have to live with the guilt until the day he died. That got him."

"He must really care about you." 

  
"I guess, but he's been so confusing since we arrived, I hardly know what to think of him… True, I miss Japan and all, but I gave it up to stay with him. I hope we can stay engaged long enough to get married…"

At first, Akai said nothing, then she was about to reply when a catman with bright green hair ran over.

"Akai… Where are you going?" He asked the flustered catwoman, while the man didn't seem to notice Hitomi was there.

"Hitomi… I'd like you to meet Keigo, my bodyguard…" She muttered in an embarrassed tone.

"Wow, You're the last person around here I'd think to have a GUARD…" Hitomi muttered in confusion.

"It's all Sakino's fault. Keigo was his best friend and he made him promise to marry me if anything happened to him. The marriage thing never worked out, so he INSISTS on spending every waking moment making sure I haven't stopped breathing…" Akai looked somewhat annoyed and Hitomi wondered if she had other reasons besides Sa-Sa's rapidly decreasing health for leaving at dawn.

"Oh Akai-sama, I was so worried… Then I heard you were going on a journey from some strange raven-haired boy… I believe he referred to you as a 'demoness' if I understood correctly…"

"That's wonderful, Keigo, well, we better all get to bed, we have a BIG day tomorrow!" Akai attempted to escape her annoying protector.

"Yes. I'll need a good night's sleep if I'm to guard you!" He smiled.

"W-What do you mean?" She asked in horror.

"Well, I'm coming with you of course, you silly girl! Honestly, Akai, you need to wear a hat when you're in the sun. The rays are getting to you! Well, I'll see you guys in the morning! Later!" He dashed off towards the other side of the camp, leaving Akai staring after him; her jaw dropped in horror.

"The gods hate me…" Akai muttered, hitting her forehead with her palm in frustration. 

(A/N: Déjà vu for any "Folkie's Birthday" readers?)

"Ah… C'mon… He's a little dense, but he seems nice enough!" Hitomi tried to point out his good qualities.

"HE IS THE MOST **ANNOYING** MAN ON THE PLANET! HE NEVER GIVES ME A MOMENT'S PEACE?!" Akai shrieked.

"Mommy… You're hurting my ears…" Kii-Kii said, covering her ears with her hands to emphasize her point.

"Sorry, dear." She kissed her daughter on the top of the head, before returning to her state of dread.

"I think **SOMEBODY** has a crush on Akai…" Hitomi said in a singsong voice.

"HE **CANNOT** LIKE ME!" Akai shrieked.

"Oh I dunno… He seemed awful worried about you… It's **SO** romantic!" The emerald-eyed girl gushed.

"Hitomi Kanzaki… If you say **ONE MORE WORD**, I will see that you never make it to Zaibach…" Akai hissed. Hitomi said nothing, but nodded, winking and Akai sighed in defeat.

"You may stay in my home tonight. I hope there's enough room." She led Kii-Kii and Hitomi carrying Sa-Sa back to the hut.

Hitomi sat on her pallet on the floor, staring out the window. The sky was filled with stars. She watched them intently, then shuddered as one fell. 

"Someone will die." She said automatically, remembering a myth of her youth. 

"Nonsense. I don't believe in that stuff anymore." She wrapped her arms around her knees and gazed at the two moons in the sky.

"Amano… Yukari… Mom… I miss you… Don't forget about me… I'll return… I promise…" She whispered. She yawned before drifting off to sleep with only her memories to comfort her.

__

I promise…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, when the birds first began to twitter and the sun began to rise over the western mountains. Akai grabbed a carpetbag with a few of her worldly possessions and Hitomi had her duffelbag, some way or another, we may never know how. 

Van said a sad farewell to Rhum, inviting him to visit Fanelia whenever he saw fit and prepared to leave.

"Now just hold on a second, your majesty. You think I'm just going to let you go off and have the time of your life with your unfit fiancée and a bunch of catgirls and elude all your work in Fanelia?" Van looked at him in slight annoyance. Who's side was he on?

"Not without **ME** you aren't! I'm not gonna let **YOU** have all the glory and leave poor ol' Rhum here to rot! You're going to Zaibach your majesty, but you're taking your good friend, Rhum, with you!" 

"Now hold on a second Rhum, I didn't even let Merle come…" Van protested, knowing how annoyed his best friend would be if she found out he'd chosen a wolfman to come along with him over her.

"I'll go get my horse." Rhum said, dashing off.

"How do I get myself into these situations?" Van pondered aloud, kicking at the dirt with his boot.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hitomi and Akai were walking towards Van and Rhum when a red-haired catwoman ran shrieking from her hut at Akai and leaped on her.

"GET OFF SHITASHII!" Akai shrieked, pushing the girl who had to be a couple years younger than her off.

"Gomen Akai-san." The girl muttered apologetically.

"Honestly Shitashii, you're like a little kitten…" Akai chided, dusting herself off.

"I'm sorry Akai, but I heard you were leaving for Zaibach…"

"So?" Akai was quite annoyed, first Keigo, and now Shitashii…

"I'm your **BEST FRIEND** AKAI! HOW CAN YOU JUST LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING 'GOODBYE'?!" She hissed, her tail bristling in anger.

"For crying out loud… What is with you guys lately?" She wondered aloud.

"I'll ignore that… Anyways… I'm coming with you! I already packed my bag and Keigo said I could!" She beamed at her best friend that looked ready to commit suicide.

"But Shitashii… We'll be on the road for weeks and we're going to Zaibach! You'll be killed!" She tried to reason with the crimson-haired girl.

"I'm sorry Akai, but my mind is made up. And I won't let you hog Keigo to yourself for a whole month! Honestly! Gimme a break!" She grabbed her bag and meowed, running over to Kii-Kii and Sa-Sa who looked at her happily, knowing they had another traveling companion.

"This is just getting worse and worse…" Akai murmured, sweatdropping.

  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Before the party left, one person from the group must seek the aid of Bokusha, the village fortuneteller. Hitomi insisted this was extremely stupid since she herself told fortunes, but it was a tradition that Akai insisted they follow, after she was given leave of duty for this mission from Lord Kosetsu. It was said that Hitomi should be the one to go through with it, which she reluctantly agreed to. She stepped into the silk tent that housed the famous seeress. 

__

Who knows…? Maybe I'll learn SOMETHING useful… Hitomi sighed in annoyance; this was such a waste of time.

"Now, Now, Dear, that isn't very polite… You mustn't insult me so…" An elderly catwoman clothed in the same color silk at the tent rasped.

__

Can she read my mind? Hitomi looked at the old woman in wonder.

"Yes dear, I **CAN** read your mind, let's get down to business, I have an appointment with some plague stricken farmer after you…" The catwoman pointed at the sundial outside and Hitomi got the gesture and quickly sat down.

"You're worried. You're going into enemy territory in more ways than one. You're going to Zaibach, where you are despised, and you are disobeying your future husband's wishes, another dangerous move. You don't know what to expect, but you hope everything turns out alright and the Fanelian Council will accept your marriage."

"How did you…?" Hitomi was in shock. Sure, she knew she could do this sort of thing. But she wasn't nearly so accurate and she needed her cards to find this sort of thing out. She had a hunch that this old hag was just some fraud that the people worshipped because she made reasonable assumptions that were usually correct. For the first time in her life, Hitomi's hunch had been wrong.

__

This is creepy…

"What is so creepy, Lady Hitomi? You do the very same thing all the time. And you wonder why your friends call **you** creepy… HA!"   
  
"No insults please." Hitomi was rather annoyed.

"Right, Right, whatever…" The catwoman muttered, gazing into her crystal ball.

"I see… Oh… Ouch… That had to hurt… Oi!" She clucked her tongue and shook her head sadly.

"I see happiness for some and death for others. This is not a crackerjack fortune, milady."

"Sa-Sa is going to die before we can help her, isn't she?" Hitomi asked sadly.

"Ah Ah Ah, Lady Hitomi… Don't make wagers on fate, it always surprises you…" Bokusha whispered.

"Would you like me to tell a personal fortune? For you Lady?"

"Sure, why not?" Hitomi said uneasily.

The woman gazed into the crystal ball once more, and she flinched.

"The one who loves you will kill you…" She whispered gravely and Hitomi gave her a look of disbelief.

Hitomi felt sick as she scrambled out of the tent, her hands over her mouth.

__

No… It can't be… Why would Van? Kill me?

** "The one who loves you will kill you…" **

__

It's a lie… Van would never hurt me… He loves me…

Having decided on that, Hitomi walked over to the group with their unpromising fortune. All Van could do was wonder why Hitomi gave him terrified glances from behind him on their horse whenever he smiled at her as the journey began a shaky start.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dilandau eyed the girl next to him with curiosity.

__

Why did she release me…? I'm a demon of hell set upon this world by madmen to destroy it… I kept her trapped within my mind for 10 long years… So why is she letting me wander about freely? I don't understand…

"Selena… **Why** did you set me free?"

Selena looked up in surprise, not expecting such a question.

"Because… You're a person just like everyone else… It doesn't matter how bad you are… You're still a person and you still deserve to be free…"

"If I was able to, I would have killed you without a second thought. You know that, don't you?" He asked her bluntly.

"Yes, I know you would have. Dilandau, you forget, I know you. You're me." She stated without emotion.

"Your every thought, desire, and craze… I know them all… I was trapped within you for a decade Dilandau. I know you better than anyone ever has or ever will."

"I forget that." He whispered regretfully.

They walked for hours in silence, both reflecting and wondering what would happen in the time to come. They climbed over a hill and on the other side stood a city.

"It's Zarom." Dilandau whispered in disbelief.

"The training academy, it's right here in this very city…"

"It's good to be back, isn't it, Dilandau?" Selena asked him, smiling at the joy eminent in his expression.  
  
Through an unspoken agreement, they raced down through the iron gates and into the city. They halted when they were within. The once proud city was now a wasteland. Buildings had toppled over and those that were left could hardly be called buildings. Mud huts were everywhere and Dilandau noticed in disgust that there were shanties built with only a couple of boards and some newspaper for a roof. If Dornkirk were alive, he would be crushed. This was not a city of tomorrow. This was a city of days long past. What had happened here was obvious. The men of this city had been drafted for the war; they had died, thus not returning. Their widows and children couldn't make enough to support themselves and therefore had been evicted by their landlords. Those families who hadn't had their men taken away had no doubt been taxed to poverty to pay for the war and were in the same boat. The city he had lived in for years when he was training to become a Dragon Slayer was in ruins. Selena's blue eyes were filled with shock as well. He often forgot that she too had once seen this great city and was now forced to see it turned to rubble. She reached out and held his hand and he didn't pull away. 

They walked through the garbage filled streets and came upon a store. Someone inside was screaming.

"YOU FILTHY CREATURE! GET OUT OF MY SHOP! POLICE! POLICE! I'M BEING ROBBED! SOMEONE, HELP ME!" A fat shopkeeper in distress called for assistance.

A small boy darted from the store with a small bag in hand, grinning as though he'd just been promoted to captain from private as the shopkeeper shrieked. Dilandau caught the boy by the collar with ease as the child screamed in protest. The shopkeeper waddled out and noticed that the criminal had been caught.

"My good lad. You have caught the little waif who had pillaged this town to pieces in the last week. Our entire community thanks you. If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know. I'll deal with this one." 

He reached out to grab the boy and Dilandau was about to turn him over when Selena put a restraining hand on his shoulder. He wondered what was wrong with the girl, when he caught a glimpse of the criminal's eyes. The boy was scrawny; obviously he hadn't eaten well in years and had dark brown hair. But it was his eyes. The blue orbs were filled with fear and sorrow. Those eyes pained him as they obviously pained Selena. They were so familiar…

** _Please… Don't leave me alone… _**

"You can do me a favor…" Dilandau muttered.

  
"Yes, what is it? Anything for our hero!" The merchant asked eagerly.

"Take this and forget about the whole thing…" He handed the man 15 Gidaru and the merchant's eyes widened, but he said nothing and returned to his store.

"LET ME GO!" The boy shrieked in anger.

"LET ME GO YOU JERK!" He kicked Dilandau in the gut and the general fell to his knees, grasping his stomach, but still he had a tight hold on the boy.

"You have no right to talk to your rescuer that way…" Dilandau mumbled, pain shooting through his abdomen.

"I've been in worse scrapes than that! I would've gotten away if you hadn't've caught me in the first place!" The boy retorted indignantly.

"Oh really?" Dilandau asked in interest.

"He didn't need to make such a fuss about it… It was only a loaf of bread… He has enough to feed the whole town if he wanted too… Not like he ever will, the big jerk…" The coffee-haired boy commented.

"Tell me boy, what is your name?" Dilandau asked in sudden interest.

"It's Rafael. Rafael Lavalier." The boy said.

"L-Lavalier?" Dilandau whispered in awe, his crimson eyes widening.

"I didn't stutter, now did I?" Rafael said rudely.

"My brother, Migel, is a Dragon Slayer and I'll send him after you if you don't put me down right now!" 

"M-Migel…?" Dilandau whispered the name he hadn't used since his Dragon Slayer's untimely end.

"Yes, that's right, Migel! Have you heard of him?" The boy asked smugly.

"My brother is the greatest fighter in the entire city!

"He's out there fighting in The Destiny War so Zaibach can rule all of Gaea!" Rafael smiled proudly.

"The Destiny War?" Dilandau asked in concern, knowing that the war had ended and Zaibach had lost.

"Have you been living in a cave? The Destiny War! The war Zaibach began so they could create perfect lives for all the people of Gaea?" Rafael seemed shocked at Dilandau's "stupidity."

"I have **not** been living in a cave. I am General Dilandau Albatou. Commander of the most elite forces in Zaibach. The Ryuugekitai. And the way you're speaking to me is disrespectful for your station." Dilandau was getting sick of this boy's ignorance. Selena gave him a look that said, 'Why did you tell him?' and he instantly regretted his introduction.

"G-General A-Albatou?" Rafael's eyes widened in wonder and admiration.

"It's really you, oh General, you've returned!" He was so excited he began to bounce up and down.

"EVERYONE! IT'S GENERAL ALBATOU! HE'S COME HOME! EVERYBODY GET OUT HERE QUICK!"

The villagers came running from their homes and formed a circle around the general, the girl, and the thief.

"My god! It's really him!"

"I remember watching when he left for the capital!"

"Do you remember the grand parade they had in his honor?"

"Where is my boy Chesta? He has a lot of work to do around here when he gets back!"

"Lord, how'd you get that scar? Was it in battle?"

"How is the fighting going General? Has Zaibach won yet?"

"Are the Ryuugekitai coming home soon? I miss Dalet. We're to be married next month you know."  
"May I hold your sword General?"

"Is that girl your wife Lord?"

"General Dilandau, is Gatty coming home soon? Our daughter needs her father. And I need my husband…"

"What is it like to be in the army General Dilandau? How many people have you killed?"

"Does Lord Folken really have a metal arm?" The questions and comments went on and on.

  
"Hey everyone, leave him alone, he and the lady have had a long journey all the way from Asturia and no doubt are very tired. Let them rest and leave your questions for the morning." Rafael insisted, herding the two guests away.

"I'm sorry, they're just excited. You're a hero here you know, Lord. I remember, I was eight when there was that big parade for your journey to the capital. Father lifted me up on his shoulders and I could see you and Migel and the others. The two of you can stay with me tonight." He led them down a dark alleyway and to a bunch of garbage cans and crates. They were empty and filled with straw.

"This is where me and the boys sleep. It ain't the palace, but it's better than what some people have."

"Rafael, where are your parents?" Selena asked in concern for the 10-year-old's welfare.

"Oh…" The boy had a pained expression.

"My mom died when I was born. My dad was killed a month or two after Migel left. I don't have any relatives. Migel's the only family I have."

"Who takes care of you?" Dilandau was a bit worried about him at this point. He reminded him so much of Migel. Not only the looks, but the attitude.

"I take care of myself. I steal what I need and I live with the boys here. I go to the church donation box for clothes. I do alright." Rafael's skinniness would suggest otherwise, but the travelers didn't say anything, knowing the boy probably hadn't had a decent meal in years.

"The whole town is in ruins. Fresh money hasn't entered since the war began. I used to do all right. Up until a few months ago, Migel would send me half of his paycheck to live on."

"Did he ever write you?" Selena asked in sadness, knowing that money didn't always buy happiness.

"Well… Yeah he did… But you see… I don't how to read so…" Rafael rubbed his toe in the dirt.

"You don't know how to read?" Selena was rather appalled.

"Nope. We never had the money to pay for the tuition." Rafael seemed embarrassed and who could blame him.

"You know, Dilandau and I are orphans too." Selena said comfortingly.

"Well, I guess I'm not alone." Rafael commented.

"I guess not." Selena said soothingly, giving the boy a hug. He squirmed away in embarrassment.

"OK, enough of this sympathetic crap… I'm tired." Dilandau muttered. He pulled a small plastic case off his belt and pulled three small capsules out of the case. He pressed a red button on each of them and there was a cloud of smoke. Three sleeping bags were left in the place of the capsules.

  
"Seems like Dornkirk invented something decent…" Selena murmured, sinking into the soft sleeping bag.

"Yeah… He wasn't a complete jerk…" Dilandau sighed in contentment inside his own pouch.

"What is this thing?" Rafeal asked, prodding it.

"It's a sleeping bag. Get in it and sleep." Dilandau muttered facedown in his pillow.

"Oh. Okay." Rafael dropped facedown into it, instantly falling asleep.

After the boy was in dreamland, Dilandau and Selena sat together silently.

"So… What should we do?"

"About what?" Selena asked.

"About Rafael. And the villagers. They don't know that the Destiny War is over. They don't know that Zaibach lost and they DEFINITELY don't know that the Ryuugekitai is no more. They're dead. They're all dead." Dilandau stared up at the stars, wondering why he had been cursed so.

"Dilandau. The Dragon was too powerful. You couldn't have done anything. They cared about you Dilandau. They came back as ghosts to save you. If that isn't loyalty, I don't know what is…" Selena whispered, lying on her back, staring into space.

"They died and it's all my fault. I led them to those battles. I didn't recover Migel. I did nothing to protect my own men from the dragon. I did nothing… NOTHING!" Dilandau shrieked.

"Shhhhhh! You're going to wake him!" Selena hissed in anger, pointing at Rafael.

  
"I don't know if I can tell him. He'll be all alone if I tell him Migel is dead." Dilandau whispered, deep in thought.

"Dilandau… He already **IS** alone… Even if you don't tell him Migel was killed, Migel will still be dead. You're just going to cause him more pain by **not** telling him. He'll wait day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, for a boy who's never coming home." Selena commented and Dilandau sighed, knowing she was right.

"I'll tell him in the morning. Goodnight Dilandau." Selena rolled.

"Goodnight… Selena…" He whispered, a little more gently than he intended.

"Dilandau… That's the first time you said my name…" She whispered in awe, smiling at him.

"I guess so…" He muttered, rather disturbed. He was about to say something when he heard her gentle breathing as she slumbered.

"What are you doing to me girl?" He whispered, staring at his traveling companion.

__

What is she? My alter ego? My counterpart? My sister? My good side? My friend? He instantly gagged when he thought of the last possibility. _Since when do I have friends? I am Dilandau Albatou, Commander of the Ryuugekitai. I stand alone. I don't need anything or anyone. The Dragonslayers were just my soldiers. They were fools to throw away their lives for me. That's what they were. Fools. Nothing more. Strategos was my commander, although I rarely listened to him. We weren't friends, just allies in a war to destroy mankind. The only relationship we had was drinking Vino together. I hardly call that friendship. This girl… She's part of me. I can't help it. She is not a friend, she's myself. My non-pyro side I guess I could say. _She looked lovely lying there, her silver hair bathed in the moons' ghostlike reflection. _WHAT?! No! He could **NOT** be falling for this girl… This weak, pathetic, tomboy that he should have killed when he had the chance. You won't hurt me girl, I won't let it happen again…_He stalked over to where she was sleeping and wrapped his gloved hands around her neck. He began to squeeze, trying to crush her neck. She quickly awoke and her eyes reflected shock and betrayal. And another emotion was there too… Was it sadness? Disappointment? He'd never find out. _Not those eyes. I won't let you destroy me girl. I won't let you break me…_He squeezed harder and harder, ignoring her pleading eyes.

"Dilandau," she gasped, "please don't…"

He instantly released her._ Those cursed memories. So long ago. No. They can't be coming back. Why now? Why her?_

** "NEVER call me that, EVER again!" He leaped from his chair and grasped her neck, nearly choking her.

"Dilandau… Please don't…" She whispered, staring into his glassy crimson orbs that were filled with anger. **

"Why Dilandau? Why?" Selena asked sadly, looking up at him and rubbing her sore neck.

"That's what I want to know…" He whispered. He turned away from her and walked out of the alley and down the dirt road. He turned onto an avenue he knew so very well. He climbed the fire escape and sat on the roof, his legs dangling over the edge. The stars seemed to be laughing at him.

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" He shrieked, throwing a stone towards the heavens.

"I don't understand. Everything is falling apart. Why was I born?" Dilandau did something he hadn't done since the Ryuugekitai had been brutally murdered by Van. He cried. Tears began to stream down his pale cheeks, soaking his leather jacket. 

__

My entire existence is just a joke… I wonder how long I had to live before the sorcerers killed me if I hadn't become Selena. 

** "You know what Dilandau… You may have the power of life or death over me, but I will NEVER be as worthless as you. You have no family, no friends, only your future to serve Emperor Dornkirk until you become inefficient and you are disposed of. That's what I call worthless." She walked over to the bay window and sat in a chair, staring out at the sun setting over the western mountains. The Mystic Moon glowed like a priceless azure in the sky, with its child forever beside it. **

The Generals would have done me in if the sorcerers hadn't. They despised me from the beginning. I was competition. Imagine a 15-year-old boy having the same power as a man twice his age in an army he had just joined 2 years ago when the man had been a soldier for the last 17 years. Why is all this happening to me? Why didn't I die alongside my slayers? I have no family, no friends, I don't have anything. I never have and I never will.

**"You don't seem to realize how lucky you are." He commented in a monotonous voice, staring out over the sea.  
  
"If this is lucky, I don't want to see unlucky." Akai commented without much hope evident in her voice.  
  
"You have a family out there somewhere… With a father, and a mother… Who love and miss you…"  
  
"And you Dilandau?" She asked, returning her focus to him.  
  
"I have no one."**

Why did I survive? For this? To find out my country, my army, my commanders and comrades, are no more? To become infatuated with a girl I should despise? To be responsible to tell a boy that he has no family left on this entire planet? I want to die. If the gods are truly merciful, they will strike me down where I sit. I beg of them. He thought that touch on his shoulder was a signal that the gods were boring a hole into it to drain his blood and answer his prayers. _Good. No more pain. No more suffering._ He smiled. He was so very happy. He looked at it, wanting to see that everything was going to be all right. No such luck. It was a hand. The soft, pale, hand of that girl that he wanted to hate. _Why can't I hate her? Why?_

"Dilandau? Why do you hate me? Why?" Her eyes pained him so. Those cursed eyes that looked into his soul.

"I don't hate you. That's what worries me." He said, staring off over the city.

__

Why did she come after me? I tried to kill her…

"Dilandau. You don't have to hate everyone. You're not the Sorcerers' puppet anymore. You have the right to feel. You can have friends. You can fall in love." She said softly, pitying the boy she should hate. He had ripped away 10 years of her life. She had to hate him. Did she really have a choice?

"You don't understand. I have always been a soldier. I don't know what to do with myself. I have nothing left. My future laid with Zaibach's victory. I'm just like Rafael. I took a gamble and I lost. He thought his brother would always be around to protect him, Migel is dead. I thought that I could settle down and start to live my own life after we won war, the war is over and we lost. Maybe that's why I couldn't tell him. It was like looking at myself from the inside out." His ruby eyes were filled with thought.

"Dilandau… You're a killer by nurture, not by nature. You can change, I know you can." She whispered softly, grasping his hand comfortingly.

"How do you know?" He spat.

"Because I believe in you." She whispered, staring into his eyes so he knew she was not lying.  
  
Dilandau looked at her stunned. That was a new one. He was beginning to understand why he couldn't hate this girl. This was one of the many reasons.

__

Her laughter… Her hair… Her eyes… Her personality… Her kindness… Her feelings for her brother she hadn't seen for 10 years… Her feelings for me…Gods no… I'm falling in love with her…

He looked after her in a combination of adoration and horror as she wrapped his sleeping bag around him and settled down beside him in her own, quickly drifting off again.

__

No… I won't let myself be crushed again… I can't love her… I won't… Dilandau Albatou does not fall in love… I won't fall in love…

The crimson-eyed boy fell asleep on the roof that night with that these sort of thoughts plaguing his mind. The boy didn't know however that it was far too late to have these thoughts. For although he wouldn't admit it to himself, he was already very much in love with Selena Schezar.

A/N: The chapter is up! Yay for me! I borrowed the name Rafael from "Stars In the Heart - sequel to Scars On the Heart" by Sarah-neko because I couldn't think of anything… I apologize and hope she won't be mad… Great fic though, **READ IT!**

Oh yes, the catpeeps are some of my friends… Some of them are stretching it a bit, but I don't care! ^_^; They are the following:

Akai: Kiddi Chi 

Kii-Kii: ME! THE ANNOYING LITTLE KITTY!

Sa-Sa: NekuraTak

Shitashii: Fontina Blu Cent

My friend Nagi-chan has yet to be introduced, but shall be coming really soon! If you want to be in the fic, write something about yourself in a review and I'll add ya in!

Read the following fics:

Amber and Emeralds- An Esca continuation by Kiddi Chi which is quite good

Escahontas- A hilarious Pocahontas parody by Fontina Blu Cent

Millerna and Hippie- A REALLY funny Romeo and Juliet Parody with Millerna and Dryden by Fontina Blu Cent

All poems by NekuraTak because they are dark, morbid, and good… Lol… LYLAS Amie-chan… ^_^;

Oh yeah, I will do call-outs for anyone who wants there fic to be read more! Comments or suggestions, feel free to email me at mihoshichan@hotmail.com !

I'll update soon! (Hopefully… ^_^;) PLEASE REVIEW! 

I WANT 48-50 REVIEWS TOTAL BEFORE I'LL ADD UP THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!

Ja matta ne!

~Trunks Gal~


	9. When Lovers Collide

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. I do however, own this fic, its plot, and all original characters. This is new info for so many of you I'm sure. Lol.  
  
A/N: Wow. I can't believe I haven't updated this since June. _ I am soooooooooooooo sorry. Please forgive me. This chapter is pretty darn good if I do say so myself. I hope you're still reading. Please review. I'm hoping for 53 before the next update. Thanks!  
  
Chapter 9: When Lovers Collide  
  
** "The one who loves you will kill you." **  
  
Hitomi awoke gasping for breath, sweat running down her face. She looked around to find herself in a tent, with Van in the sleeping back beside her own, breathing softly. It was just a nightmare. She sighed in relief.  
  
What had that crazy fortune-teller meant?  
  
** Flashback **  
  
"The one who loves you will kill you."  
  
** Backflash **  
  
Van loved her. He was going to marry her and make her queen. Not to mention the fact that despite this quest's danger, he was going on it so he could keep her safe. Yes, Van cared for her. It just had to be true.  
  
She sighed, aware of the difficulties that lay ahead. They'd been traveling for several days and were restless and tired. The children squabbled, Akai was ready to beat Keigo into a bloody pulp whenever she had a chance, Van ignored her, as she in turn ignored him, Rhum made fun of the two for their "undeniable love" as they barely spoke, and Shitashii acted extremely hyper. She wanted to patch things up with Van, but she didn't know where to start. She cared about him so much, they just didn't always see eye-to-eye. She supposed a lot of couples felt that way. She brushed back a piece of raven-colored hair, and kissed his forehead softly.  
  
"That's nice." He muttered in his sleep. To her amusement, she could even detect a hint of blush on his cheeks. That was Van, easily embarrassed even when he wasn't awake.  
  
She decided to forgive him for being so hardheaded in Arzas. He was just a boy after all, whether "the mighty king" himself, would admit it or not. "Goodnight. My handsome prince." She whispered, before drifting back asleep beside the one who's blade was destined to be her downfall.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Princess Eries sat in court, listening intently to the bearded, bald, over- weight, elderly men debate about trivial matters that did not concern Asturia's well-being. Sometimes, despite her better judgement, she missed the war. When The Destiny War was being fought, something exciting was always going on. Hotheaded old fools were constantly arguing, fair ladies wept over men they loved marching off to battle, rulers tried to preserve the shattering of their alliances still intact.  
  
It had been so much like the plays she had attended with Marlene before she had married Duke Freid. It had been several years, but her heart still wept for her sister who preferred the theater to the battlefield, unlike their father. Marlene had helped cultivate Eries into a decent human being.  
  
Mother had died when she was three, minutes after the birth of Millerna. Marlene had been six at the time and was the most heart-broken. King Aston never spoke of the lovely woman that had been his wife, no one really knew why. All they had known was that he loved his country, but he had loved Therese Gladys Aston ever more.  
  
Millerna and Dryden had split up and Asturia was in turmoil. Who would take the throne? Not her, no, not Princess Eries, for Princess Eries had committed the second highest of all treason. She had murdered the queen of Asturia. Or, at least. that's what everyone believed.  
  
It was all her father's fault. He had never liked her much. She was the middle-child. Not brilliant, like fair Marlene or beautiful, like young Millerna. She was just Eries. The Forgotten Princess.  
  
"I can still remember. That day. Oh mother. Why? Couldn't you have learned to love father? Didn't you try?" Eries whispered softly.  
  
** Flashback **  
  
"Mama, what's wrong? You don't look well." 3-year-old Eries commented quietly.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't be with you much longer, darling."  
  
"Why not?" Eries asked, her eyes widening. "Are you going somewhere?"  
  
"Yes, darling. I'm going to a place where it's always summer and no one is ever unhappy." She said serenely. "As I have been." She added softly.  
  
"It must be nice. I should think I'd like to go there Mama." Eries replied.  
  
"No darling." Therese said quietly. "This is a journey that mother must make alone."  
  
"Not even Encia?" Eries asked in confusion, speaking of her mother's favorite handmaiden who went everywhere with her. She had been shooed out when Eries came in, fiddling with her apron.  
  
"No dear, not even Encia." Therese whispered softly, tears filling her eyes.  
  
"Don't cry mother, I'm sure Encia won't mind." Eries consoled the 24-year- old blonde who had we a man she held no affection for at 17, had her first child at 18, and had been bound to the throne by the daughters she loved ever since. She looked around and noticed the small cradle holding her new little sister.  
  
"Her name is Millerna." Therese whispered, smiling at the sleeping baby.  
  
"She's pretty." Eries said shyly.  
  
"Yes. She is." Therese agreed without much thought. "Promise me something Eries. Promise me that you'll look after her."  
  
"But Mama, you'll be here to help her." Eries replied in puzzlement.  
  
"Just promise me, Eries!" Therese pleaded, tears rolling down her fair cheeks.  
  
A bit shaken by the tears, Eries complied quickly. "Of course Mama. I'll take care of her. I promise."  
  
"Good." She lay back in bed again. "Then I can rest peacefully."  
  
"That's nice Mama." Eries beamed, still not understanding what was going on.  
  
"I love you Eries." Therese smiled fondly after her formerly youngest daughter.  
  
"I love you too Mother." Eries whispered as her mother fell asleep. When she noticed that her mother's chest was no longer rising and falling, she decided that she was very deeply asleep. The young princess smiled before closing the door softly, not wanting to wake her mother from her eternal sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"God damn it! What do you MEAN Therese is dead?" Kind Aston commanded the maid in hysterics.  
  
"I don't know Sir. It twasn't my fault Sir. She asked me and her handmaiden to take our leave and asked that one," She pointed at Eries accusingly. ".To come in. The young princess came out and I went in to change Milady's linens and she lying there all peaceful-like and I smiled in spite of myself Sir. For she looked grand, she did, just like a princess from one of them fairy tales. I asked her if she'd like a bath to be drawn for her, bust she didn't reply. I asked her again. I went over and tapped her gently, figuring she deeply asleep and asked louder. I took her hand and it was so cold. Lifeless. I was a bit worried so I put my head to her mouth to listen for breaths. There wasn't one.Tweren't any. Lady Therese is dead sire." The maid wept.  
  
"Confound it!" The King yelled in fury. "The last one with her must have been the one who killed the queen of Asturia. And I ask you, WHO is responsible for the death of my beloved wife?!"  
  
The maid pushed Eries forward and everyone stepped backward. Eries, who had just figured out what was going on, was bawling loudly.  
  
"What in hell's name are you blubbering about, girl?!" King Aston screeched at her.  
  
"Mother." Eries whimpered.  
  
"Yes, you horrible little child! You killed your own mother! Guards, take her from my sight!" The guards stepped forward as Eries ran away.  
  
"ERIES! COME BACK!" 6-year-old Marlene called after her as baby Millerna squalled.  
  
Eries ran and ran, through corridors and bedrooms, through attics and dining rooms, until she reached the great hall. She yanked open the huge doors and the mold of Dicha seemed to growl at her menacingly as she ran out and throng the iron gates surrounding the palace. She ran through the grassy fields and found the grove of trees she and her mother had climbed and ran farther in. "MPH!" She crashed into something.  
  
"Princess Eries?" The boy asked quietly. "Princess Eries, are you all right?" Then she saw the boy with long blond hair. He was clad in black leather with a cotton shirt and sash. A sword hung at his waist. He held her awkwardly, yet he held her none the less.  
  
"I. Why.? Mother. She's dead.Did I kill her? I couldn't have. I musn't have. I." Eries muttered in horror, as he stroked her hair. He was holding her, in the fields as she wept onto his shoulder, trying to forget the sight of her mother's lifeless body that would haunt her until the day she laid in her own grave. "I'm sorry," She looked up at him. She recognized him. She was Encina's son. "But I don't know your name."  
  
"My name is Allen." He said quietly. "Allen Schezar."  
  
** Backflash **  
  
Encina had moved back to her parent's home with Allen Selena since she was no longer wanted in Palas. Allen would not return in Princess Eries's life until he became a Knight Caeli twelve years later.  
  
Eries got up. The council stared at her in surprise. "Princess Eries, where are you going?" The head Councilor asked.  
  
"I. I just need to think." She said over her shoulder as she ran out the door. She cried softly, reflecting on her past. She hadn't done it. Why did they blame her? She was crying quietly as she ran into something. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" She complained, rubbing her head in irritation. The figure held her gently and she looked up to herself smiling at the face of Allen Schezar.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dilandau awoke that morning with a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach for the task at hand. He saw Selena peacefully snoring in the bag beside him and quickly dismissed her from his thoughts. He rolled up his bag, shrunk it, and attached it to his belt. He climbed down off the roof, but not before the girl awoke.  
  
"Huh? Dilandau? Where is he?" She wondered aloud, blinking in confusion.  
  
"Miss me?" He climbed back up, grinning at the peeved girl.  
  
"Jerk. I thought you'd been kidnapped or skipped town or something!" She shrieked.  
  
"Not yet girl." Dilandau muttered in annoyance, dealing with her bag as his own. "Igo." He began back down.  
  
"WAIT!" Selena squeaked.  
  
"WHAT NOW?!" Dilandau growled.  
  
"You can't go down like that! You'll scare the poor boy to death!" She proclaimed.  
  
"And what do you intend to do about it?" Dilandau asked impatiently, not seeing what was wrong with how he looked.  
  
"I intend to fix it!" She continued, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards her. She walked over to the gutter and filled her cupped hands with rainwater. She rubbed her hands across his face, wiping off the dirk, grime, and his smirk right along with it. She tore off a piece of her dress along the hem and used it to dry his wet face. "Allen won't be happy with me. But he already won't be, so I suppose it won't make much of a difference." She then ran her still damp hands through his silver hair, smoothing down the loose hairs and making sure that his bangs were still curled in that trademark way.  
  
His eyes were wide with surprise. He wanted to say that he could wash his own face, but something stopped him. He loved the feeling of her hands caressing his skin and running through his hair. AUGH! Why was he feeling this way? She was just a worthless female.  
  
"That's much better, but something's still missing. Lemme think." She put her hand to her head and stared at him. Her eyes pierced him like so many arrows. "Aha!" She reached in her pocket and pulled out a circular golden object. It had a red gem inset in the front and looked familiar. He scratched his head and it hit him what was wrong. She had his tiara! She slipped it over his head, binding it in the back. "That's better!" She beamed. "Shall we?"  
  
"Whatever." Dilandau muttered, pushing her aside and heading down.  
  
"HEY!" Rafael called up to them. "Where have you guys been?"  
  
"It's none of your concern." Dilandau muttered nonchalantly.  
  
"Oh well. I'm just glad you're still here! I was afraid the villagers had scared you off!" He climbed up and soon the three of them were lying on top of the roof beneath the deep blue sky.  
  
"I know, you know." Rafael said softly, eyes glued on the clouds above.  
  
"Know what?" Selena asked, trying to hide the dread in her voice.  
  
"Migel. He's dead. Isn't he?" He accused, his amethyst eyes locking with their own.  
  
"How did you know?" Selena asked, waves of sadness washing over her as though she were at the beach.  
  
"Despite what you might think, you're not good at acting. Nor are you experts at keeping your voices low." Selena and Dilandau glanced at each other guiltily. "I just want to know one thing. Why didn't you tell me?" His eyes were filled with pain and sorrow beyond that of a boy his age.  
  
"Because. We loved Migel like a brother, despite what bloody-eyes here might say." She gestured at Dilandau who growled menacingly. She took Rafael aside out of Dilandau's hearing. "Coming here was like watching them die all over again. Do you know how much it hurt him when they all died? They were his friends, his comrades. There's something sacred about comrades, Rafael. He didn't want to see them die all over again. I know it still haunts him in his dreams. Dilandau's. Dilandau's a good man, Rafael, a good man and a great leader. He may not have always chosen his paths wisely, but many of them were chosen for him. He's a good man, Rafael, a good man." She walked away and Rafael stared at her back. They both looked alarm when they heard an anguished cry from nearby. "Huh?" Selena asked, turning around to see what was going on. Dilandau crouched a distance away, rocking back and fourth, eyes dilated. Selena was hit with a torrent of painful memories of her other self who was suffering terribly as Rafael looked on in confusion.  
  
"What's going on?" He muttered, eyes wide in confusion as he watched the respected general, crumble and his lovely lady shriek, covering her ears with her hands. ** A bunch of furry animals scattered as Escaflowne landed on the ground as thunder rumbled in the background. Over a dozen blue Alseides and a single red one landed around Van. "Okay boys. The Dragonhunting ends today!" Dilandau told his slayers. "I'll settle this myself." Van said, trying to assure himself. "Okay Escaflowne, give me your strength." The Mecca's gears started turning. "ATTACK!" Dilandau screamed. Several guymelefs charged at Van, one shooting at him, but he blocked it, he sliced through multiple guymelefs at once. "AAAAAAAAHHHH!" A Dragonslayer with blond curly hair Hitomi later learned to be called Guimel shrieked as Van crushed his guymelef's head, blood spewing everywhere. Van impaled a guymelef coming upon him and struck down the next one with the same persistence. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Gatty screamed in pain as his along with other guymelefs in a bloody mess burst into flames. "Damn he's fast! Stealth cloaks!" Dilandau ordered. The guymelefs donned their stealth cloaks immediately, but Van using the dowsing Hitomi had shown him before, was easily able to see through them. "I can see them. I CAN SEE THEM!" Van cried out excitedly. He sliced through two more guymelefs with ease. Dalet attempted to protect himself with a shield, but to no avail as he to was killed. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Dalet screamed as he met the fate of his comrades. "THIS IS FOR DUKE FREID!" Van proclaimed loudly as Dalet's guymelef burst into bloody flames. "AND THIS IS FOR BALGUS!" He slashed through three more guymelefs as Dilandau watched in horror. "What's going on?" Dilandau wondered aloud. "HE'S CRAZY!" "Lord Dilandau!" Chesta cried out, as he, the last remaining Dragonslayer, died before his master, leaving Dilandau as the last one standing. "GATTY. CHESTA?! DALET?!" Dilandau called for his fallen men. Escaflowne loomed before him menacingly. "Where is he?" Dilandau began to whimper. Merle and Hitomi watched from the sky above. "Lord Van's winning!" Merle proclaimed in excitement. "No. Something's wrong with Escaflowne." Hitomi muttered in disturbance. Escaflowne stepped closer to Dilandau's guymelef as he screamed in terror. "STAY AWAY!" Dilandau screamed as he shot at Van, nicking him and causing blood to run down Van's cheek. "And this is for Fanelia! PREPARE TO DIE!" Van screamed, running forward, intent on spearing Dilandau right then and there. Dilandau's pale face was filled with fear, knowing he was going to die. Suddenly, the blood from Van's cheek filled his guymelef. The whole landscape was covered in blood as ghosts appeared. "Stop." Dalet commanded. "WHAT?!" Van asked in confusion why he wasn't killing Dilandau screaming in agony as he died. "We won't let you kill Dilandau." Gatty told Van. "What?" Van asked again. "Why don't you come with us?" Gatty asked. "Who are you?" Van asked, genuinely frightened. "We won't let you kill the man who commanded us." A Dragonslayer said. "He gave us our glorious guymelefs!" Another proclaimed. "He gave me a guymelef!" Another piped in. The Dragonslayers surrounded Dilandau's guymelef protectively. Van was no longer in Escaflowne, but surrounding by walls of blood. Ghosts soared around him beckoning him. "No. STAY AWAY!" "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Van screamed in terror as Escaflowne fell on its back and the scared to death Dilandau retreated. Everyone watched in horror from the ship above. "What happened to Lord Van?" Merle asked in a frightened tone. "Van." Hitomi said, as she continued to watch the pitch-black Escaflowne lying defeated on the ground. ** ** "General Adelphos, I've come to request permission to take Dilandau home." A sorcerer said to the general.  
  
"A sorcerer asking for permission? Although he's now under my command, you were the ones who gave him to us. What is the reason?" The general replied.  
  
"He's unwell. Lord Folken informed me." The sorcerer answered.  
  
"That demon is ill?!" The general exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
"We'll return him to you once he's recovered." The sorcerer responded, leaving.  
  
Dilandau screamed from the medical table he was bound to. He was surrounded by sorcerers. The men who had created him, but could just as easily destroy him.  
  
"He's becoming unstable!" A sorcerer commented.  
  
"What's causing it?" Asked another.  
  
"The Fate Alteration project wasn't a complete success." Said another.  
  
"No one is to tell Folken. Is that clear?!" Snapped another.  
  
"CHESTA! GATTY! DALET! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Dilandau shrieked.  
  
"It's getting worse. Put him to sleep. We'll have to perform another fate alternation when we get to mainland." A sorcerer said. Dilandau shrieked as he was injected, shrieked as he fell into unconsciousness. **  
  
** "Where am I?" Dilandau asked, as though waking up from a trance.  
  
"You are on the floating fortress of Dilate." Jajuka said calmly.  
  
"Dilate.? Where's Chesta?" Dilandau asked, hoping the last encounter had been a horrible nightmare and he could give his men a verbal lashing for losing to such a pitiful foe.  
  
"He died." Jajuka said gravely.  
  
"And where is Gatty?"  
  
"Dead." Jajuka whispered.  
  
"And Dalet?"  
  
"Dead."  
  
"And Viole?" Dilandau asked in desperation.  
  
"All of them. Dead." Jajuka said in regret.  
  
"Dead. DEAD?!" Dilandau threw the wine at Jajuka, shattering it against his chest and down his beard, he stood up. "So who might you be?"  
  
"My name is Jajuka." Jajuka answered.  
  
"Jajuka.?" Dilandau muttered, the name sounder oddly familiar.  
  
"I am a soldier under your command. I alone." Jajuka reported.  
  
"Alone?" Dilandau muttered in disbelief. He'd gone from fifteen elite soldiers to one dogman?! Didn't those fools trust him?! But after that battle, perhaps this was only just. He screamed and tore off his shirt. He fell to the ground crying. It seemed like second later when he calmed down and got up. "Jajuka. I trust that my new guymelef is ready."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It's been a while since I last fought. This is going to be fun." Dilandau said, trying to get excited. **  
  
** "I've been looking for you for a long time. VAN!" Van shot at Dilandau, but he blocked.  
  
"DILANDAU!" Van yelled.  
  
"HERE I COME!" Dilandau called out in glee. Dilandau swiped at him, but the young king blocked. "Excellent." Dilandau commented. They fought a bit, Van cutting off both of Dilandau's arms and pinning him against a wall. As he attempted to finish him off, Jajuka's guymelef flew in front of Dilandau's taking the hit and going up in blue flames. "JAJUKA!" Dilandau called out.  
  
"Please, Lord Dilandau! Escape!" Jajuka pleaded. Dilandau could see a picture of that strange little girl walking in some strange gardens with Jajuka and shook his head of the image. "Lord Dilandau! Turn back into Selena! Turn back into that sweet Selena!" He died as his burning guymelef fell to the ground.  
  
"Jajuka." Dilandau murmured in disbelief and horror.  
  
** Flashback **  
  
"Don't be afraid. My name is Jajuka." The dogman told the little girl.  
  
** Backflash **  
  
"What?" Dilandau muttered in confusion.  
  
** Flashback **  
  
Some guards dragged the girl away as she screamed and pleaded. Jajuka was being beaten. "Damn uppity beastman!" A guard cursed.  
  
"JAJUKA!" The little girl screamed.  
  
"Please! Don't take her! SELENA!" Jajuka howled.  
  
** Backflash **  
  
Dilandau's eyes changed from red to purple to red to blue to red again. "Jajuka. Please. Don't leave me all alone." He whispered. It was then that Dilandau vanished and Selena repossessed her body. **  
  
"STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!" Selena shrieked. She saw that Dilandau was in a similar situation and painfully dragged herself over to where he was, sweating madly, she collapsed next to him. She held him gently; stroking his face, knowing his pain was causing horrible memories through the link that they shared. "Dilandau. Shh. It's okay. You don't have to be sad for them. They're going to be all right. You're going to be all right too. There's no need to cry." She whispered, as he stood up, disdain eminent in his expression.  
  
"Rafael. I'm sorry for your loss." He then started leaping between the rooftops quickly, heading away from the two.  
  
"Stupid boy." Selena muttered, rolling her eyes. "He's me, he won't get away like that." She quickly took off after him in the same fashion. She eventually caught up to him, grabbing his collar, catching him off guard and knocking him over onto his back.  
  
"Girl! Why won't you leave me alone?!" Dilandau hissed in fury.  
  
"Because. You're a fool."  
  
"You came all this way just to tell me that?" Dilandau asked in annoyance.  
  
"No. I came to tell you something."  
  
"What? That I'm 'Not a bad person'? Look girl, I don't need to hear this kind of crap from you!"  
  
"Dilandau. I just want to help."  
  
"'Dilandau. I just want to help.'" Dilandau mockingly imitated her. "Do you know how many times I've heard that? Do you know how many times? I've heard that my entire life. No one wants to help. And I don't need help. I'm going to be fine. Just fine. On my own. I don't need you, I don't need Strategos, I don't even need my slayers! I don't care for anyone; I don't need anyone to care for me! That's how it's always been, and how it always will be!" He screamed at her. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"  
  
"Dilandau." She whispered softly.  
  
"What?" He asked coldly.  
  
"I. I." She stuttered.  
  
"Spit it out girl!" He hissed.  
  
"All right then. I care for you, Dilandau Albatou." She said quietly and serenely, her blue eyes flashing as she gently kissed him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Wow. I feel dizzy." Millerna muttered as she shook herself awake from where Allen had left her. "Where am I?" She looked to see the sun shining in the middle of the sky. "Gosh. It's already noon." Off in the horizon she saw a familiar ship. "Isn't that." No. It couldn't be. Could it?" She stared harder. "Yes. It is! It's Dryden's carrier!" She smiled happily, running towards the docking port.  
  
As it landed, she made herself look presentable, trying to mask her excitement. The doors opened and her ex-husband stepped out. He yawned, not seeing her as he made his way down the ramp.  
  
"Young master! Please be careful! If something was to happen to you, the master would have my head!" Dryden's assistant said warily as he scurried after the young merchant.  
  
"Honestly. Does he pay you to say that?" Dryden asked indignantly. "Honestly. You worry too much." Dryden commented, looking back at the jittery servant. He then promptly tripped, falling down the ramp and landing at Millerna's feet. She couldn't control herself as she laughed at his position.  
  
"Well. Good afternoon to you too, Princess." Dryden grumbled, standing up as the little slave scurried about him in a frenzy of fear and concern.  
  
Stifling her laughter, she regained her composure and smiled at him. "It's nice to see you again Dryden. But tell me, why are you here?"  
  
"Now isn't that friendly? She laughs as me when I trip, I visit and she asks why." Dryden said teasingly.  
  
"I'm sorry. You just looked so funny!" She started to giggle again.  
  
"Whatever. Your father invited me for a few days in hopes that."  
  
".we'd."  
  
".get."  
  
".remarried." Millerna finished.  
  
"Exactly." Dryden commented. "The stubborn old fool is still devastated and frantic over who will take the throne when he dies. Which, I'm sorry for your sake, will probably be soon. He doesn't look that chipper as of late. You know of course that we never produced any heirs."  
  
"Well Dryden, if I was to have a child, I think that I'd notice." Millerna commented sarcastically.  
  
"Marlene, of course, is dead. Chid is left to rule over Freid now that his parents are dead. You once told me that for some God only knows reason, Eries is to never take the throne. Yes, things are looking pretty hopeless for the Aston dynasty."  
  
"It's a shame too." Millerna said quietly. "My family has ruled Asturia for hundreds of generations. It's no wonder that Father's a wreck."  
  
"We could get married, have a kid, then separate again. Then the kid could take the throne." Dryden said hopelessly.  
  
"Dryden." Millerna growled warningly.  
  
"Okay. Okay. It was just an idea." Dryden said in his defense. "Then you have one other option."  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
"Marry someone else."  
  
"Dryden." Millerna whispered, knowing that he really was thinking in Asturia's best interest, since he had once been her husband.  
  
"I don't know what else you can do." Dryden said, in a rather dejected manner.  
  
"I'm sorry Dryden." Millerna whispered quietly. "They're decent ideas in theory, but I don't think I could go through with any of them." "I'll show you to your room." She was walking up the steps when she tripped, falling backwards, he caught her, cradling her in his arms.  
  
Oh Millerna. I've missed you. If only. If only you'd missed me too. I. Dryden silenced his thoughts, holding her tighter and relishing the close contact with his beloved former bride.  
  
"I think I can stand now Dryden." She whispered softly, a blush rising to her cheeks.  
  
"Uncomfortable, Princess?"  
  
"Yes." She replied meekly.  
  
"We've been much more intimate than this in the past." He commented softly, a twinge of regret in his voice.  
  
"That was then, this is now. Please let me go Dryden." She squirmed anxiously.  
  
"You'll never love me, will you Millerna?" He stated quietly, as more of a statement than a question. Pain reflected in his shaded glasses. "I've never won in anything related to matters of the heart. I doubt I ever will." He laughed coldly.  
  
"Dryden. I."  
  
"Just forget it!" He yelled, dropping her and running inside, leaving her there as she stared at the rapidly fading figure steadily.  
  
"But Dryden." She murmured, her bangs covering her delicately shaped violet eyes. "I think. I think for once. You might have." She then went to the healer to get treatment for the unusual stomach pains she'd experienced as of late.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"All goes well." Kirus said, lighting a candle so you could see his face in the dark room.  
  
"Yes. But I see chaos." Lady Hiraki replied.  
  
"When?" Kirus asked, concern in his deep blue eyes.  
  
"It is coming. Very soon." Lady Hiraki murmured, as the candle went out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Mama!" When will we get to Zaibach?! When Mama, when?!" The small girl squealed.  
  
"Hush Kii-Kii." Akai muttered, silencing her young daughter.  
  
"Oh Keigo. You're so big and strong!" Shitashii giggled, hanging on to Keigo's arm as Akai rolled her eyes on how slim the friend pickings were these days.  
  
"So Rhum, you hail from Alkazar, I assume?" Akai asked the wolfman in a bored drawl.  
  
"No, actually. I come from Fanelia. I am a merchant who runs a trade route between Fanelia, Arzas, Zaibach, and Asturia. I make a decent profit, if I do say so myself. I've known Van since he was a runt smaller than this one." He rustled Kii-Kii's hair as she giggled. "We used to call him Skinny Bones and no girls ever liked him because he had no muscles and he snored and." Van shot Rhum a hostile look which shut him up.  
  
"You know if you weren't my friend, I'd kill you." Van commented coolly.  
  
"Well I appreciate that sentiment, your majesty." Rhum said, grinning. "However, I'm not the least bit worried, because. Well, how can I put this delicately? YOU'RE SHORT!" Van immediately tackled Rhum.  
  
"Boys." Akai rolled her eyes, muttering in frustration.  
  
"They NEVER grow up, do they?" Hitomi said more as a statement than a question, observing the two "men" rolling around on the ground, pummeling each other with their fists.  
  
"Grow up!" Akai snarled at them.  
  
"Sorry M'Lady." Van mock bowed. Hitomi jabbed him in the ribs, since his statement was far too accurate. "HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Her glare sent him the message loud and clear.  
  
"Glad, I'M not engaged!" Rhum commented s Van rubbed his sore side. "I'm not tied down to ANY woman!" He put his arm around Akai's shoulder and she jabbed him in the ribs as well. Everyone got a laugh as he cursed the catwoman to hell and back.  
  
"Don't play with fire of you're gonna get burned." She hissed at him, leaving to look after her children. Rhum walked off, muttering about evil deranged catwomen, leaving Van and Hitomi alone. The group had stopped for mid-day meal and was having a minor difficulty, since none of them were very good cooks. But, they'd worry about that later. The sky was blue. The birds were singing. And Van and Hitomi were all alone without another soul in sight and an hour to kill.  
  
"So. Hitomi." Van said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her near. "Still up for being Fanelia's queen?"  
  
"Yes, of course. It's what I've wanted to be for such a long time. I want to be with you, Van." She said softly.  
  
"I'm glad Hitomi." He replied, tucking a strand of hair back behind her ear and kissing her forehead. "So, what kind of wedding would you like?"  
  
"I want a big, beautiful wedding. I want a white lacey wedding dress. I want you to wear a tuxedo. I want it to be in the spring with lots of flowers and all my friends and family there. I want there to be music and dancing and all kinds of food and." She passionately gushed on for a few minutes, until she figured out he wasn't paying much attention. "VAN! ARE YOU LISTENING?!" She shrieked in annoyance.  
  
"What? Oh. Of course." He smiled at her and she sighed in annoyance. "But what would you say if I asked you to marry me sooner than that?"  
  
"Huh? What are you talking about?" She asked in confusion.  
  
"I worry about you Hitomi. I want to keep you safe. I want to marry you. I want you to be mine. Let me keep you safe, Hitomi. Please."  
  
"Do you think I'm a child?" She asked in disdain. "I can take care of myself. I don't need you to walk me along on a leash like a dog! I'm a human being, Van!"  
  
"Hitomi. You need someone to protect you, bad things happen to you. ALL THE TIME. It's very bad for all of those who care about your well-being. I love you Hitomi."  
  
"But Van. What about our big romantic wedding?" She asked desperately.  
  
"Now is not the time for that! You know how my council dislikes you! Hitomi. Some of them want you dead." She could tell from his eyes that he was dead serious. (A/N: No pun intended.)  
  
"Van. Why? Why do they want me dead.? I don't want to die Van. Why didn't you tell me? Why don't you trust me?" She whispered, tears filling her green eyes.  
  
"Hitomi. You should know that I would never let anyone hurt you. You have my word on that. I didn't want you to worry. It wouldn't help." Van explained. He stroked her hair gently, as she pressed her face into his well-defined chest.  
  
"But Van. I'm not ready to rule a country. I'm not ready to have kids. Van. I'm only sixteen!" She was rather upset at this point and Van looked rather concerned.  
  
"Hitomi. I'll make you happy. I don't want to rush you into anything, but we need to do something, before it's too late." His eyes pleaded with her to change her attitude over the whole matter.  
  
"Very well then, Van. You have my hand. And my heart." She said as he kissed her softly. "So, when do you want to get married?"  
  
"There's no time like the present!" Van replied.  
  
"N-Now?" She gasped in disbelief.  
  
"Sure! Why not?" He smiled and took her hand that was cold and sweaty. "Do you, Hitomi Kanzaki, take me, Van Fanel, to be your husband? To have and to hold, to honor and to cherish, 'till death do we part?"  
  
"I d-do. She agreed shakily. "And do you, Van Fanel, take me, Hitomi Kanzaki, to be your wife? To have and to hold, to honor and to cherish, 'till death do we part?"  
  
"I do." He smiled at her reassuringly. "Then. I take you as my wife. Queen of Fanelia, mother of the next ruler of Fanelia, Hitomi Kanzaki de Fanel." He slipped his signet ring on her finger and she admired the gold band engraved with the Fanelian emblem. "I now pronounce us man and wife, king and queen, forever onward." He took her head his hands and passionately kissed her.  
  
"Way to go Van!" Rhum called to Van, who blushed madly. "So, how does it feel to be queen of Fanelia, Lady Fanel?"  
  
"It feels pretty good." She admitted. "But I say, off with his head!" She gestured at Rhum jokingly, as he scampered away.  
  
"Whatever you say, my queen." He said softly, embracing her.  
  
"Now isn't this sweet?" An unfamiliar voice sneered.  
  
The owner of the voice landed gracefully, staring at them with a fixed glare. It was a catgirl. Her hair was a deep sapphire hue, and her eyes were the brightest, purest green. There was a scar on her right shoulder that they could see for she wore a leather vest with matching leather pants and boots. There was a scabbard on her hip and they could see a weapon of some kind gleaming within. She looked to be about their age, perhaps a bit older, and a stunning green orb hung around her neck, glowing brightly. She was, indeed, a sight to behold. Then she spoke. "My name is Tsuta. I have come for Lady Hitomi." A/N: Ooh! Cliffhanger! Who is Tsuta, and why does she want Hitomi? (The reviewer known as Ivy bases this character off a request, tell me if anything's wrong with her, k Ivy?) This could change our so far, villainous plot, no couldn't it? I just want to tell you that the next couple chapters will be "interesting" to say the least. Keep reading and find out what happens in the next mysterious chapter of, "Winged Destinies"! Thanks for reading, please review! Arigatou and Sayonara! ^_^ ~Trunks Gal~ 


	10. Intrigue

Disclaimer: I don't own Mr. Shoji Kawamori's creation… It would be really sappy if I did… And I don't own "Sora" either, which is another wonderful Yoko Kanno song!
    A/N: Welcome! Here is the next chapter of "Winged Destinies" is here… The song Akai sings is "Sora" which is an **AWESOME** song that I love! ^_^ **Read and review!** Enjoy!
    Chapter 11: Intrigue
    "What?" Hitomi gasped, stepping back.
    _Why does it seem like everyone's out to kill me?_ She sweat a bit, biting her lip.
    "Tsuto…" Van muttered, gritting his teeth in recognition.
    "You're the one… The one that killed my father…" He hissed.
    Hitomi's eyes widened as she gave her husband a disbelieving gape.
    "Yes Van Fanel, but how could you possibly remember? You were nothing more than a little pest at the time, as I recall!" She gave a haughty laugh as Van glared in hatred.
    _** Flashback **
    "Lots of help you are to Daddy now? Eh brat?" The catwoman with blue hair sneered at the small boy as he watched his father receive a deep wound to the chest as his eyes rolled back and he collapsed in an unconscious state.   
    
      
    
    "You… YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Van shrieked, clenching his eyes shut.
    "Oh I doubt it, little man! I'd kill you, but that wasn't my assignment! What a pity…" He glared at her, eyes filled with rage as she continued.
    "I have places to be! But don't worry, I'll come back to play REAL soon!" She cackled as she flung a torch at a hut, which led to the neighboring buildings being consumed by flames, as she leapt away into the darkness.
    ** Backflash **
    _"Father… He died that night… Before Balgus returned from helping fight the fire…" Van muttered.
    "But I could never forget that laugh… That horrible despicable laughter." Van spat vehemently.
    "Poor little boy." Tsuto giggled.  
    
    "But my battle's not with you. I need that girl of yours. If she comes, I **may** spare your life… But I'm not making any promises…" She hissed.
    "If you so much as lay a finger on her, I'll…" Van threatened, before he was interrupted.
    "Van… Stop… I do this for you…" Hitomi whispered, running a hand down his cheek, kissing him softly.
    "Well this little lady has a brain!" Tsuto declared.
    "Come now, we're wasting valuable time!" She swung Hitomi over her shoulder, dashing off as Van pursued.
    "He sprinted off after them until he was out of breath. He leaned over panting, before slowly straightening.
    "Hitomi…" He muttered, staring off into the distance as she vanished into the mists of the forest.
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    "What?" Dilandau muttered as they broke from their kiss.
    "I care for you… I always have…" She whispered, tenderly stroking his cheek.
    "What… What's wrong with you?" Dilandau whispered.
    "Nothing… Please… Kiss me… Take all the pain away…" She whispered.
    "Make my heart stop aching… Please… I…" She collapsed in his arms.
    Dilandau felt her forehead.
    "She has a fever." Dilandau grunted, standing up with her hanging limply in his arms.
    "So… What do we do now?" Rafael whispered in uncertainty.
    "We continue to the capital, of course." Dilandau shot back in annoyance he had to be asked.
    "But surely you don't intent to carry her all the way… Your arms will break off!" Rafael protested.
    "I can almost picture the girl shrieking obscenities at you for that remark…" Dilandau smirked.
    "And **no** boy, we **won't** be walking…" He grabbed the reins of a black horse that was tied to a nearby tree, climbing on and placing Selena safely in front of him.
    "Unless you wish to walk the many miles, I **suggest **you grab that one." He pointed at the bay that looks disgruntled that his companion had been taken away.
    "With all due respect, Dilandau-sama… That would be stealing…" Rafael commented in an uneasy tone.
    "For the love of God, boy! **What** were you doing when I "**saved**" you?!" A vein popped in Dilandau's forehead and he looked ready to strangle the boy.
    "Borrowing with no intention of return?" Rafael suggesting, sweating slightly.
    "Right, and I love Fanelia! Now get on and be quick about it!" He growled as the boy hesitantly led the horse away. He then simply stood there for several minutes, blinking at the horse as it grazed.
    "Well?" Dilandau gave him a patronizing look, riding over.
    "What would you say if I told you that the closest I've gotten to a horse is picking up its dung for a few coins?" Rafael asked, backing away as the horse turned its head towards him.
    "WHAT?! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO RIDE A FREAKIN' HORSE?!" Dilandau yelled in disbelief and rage.
    "Well in case you haven't **noticed**, **LORD**, we ain't exactly rich back there!" Rafael shrieked.
    "Well, you're just lucky I know the trick for overcoming fear of horses. Get on." Dilandau grunted.
    "Okay." He threw a leg over, pulling himself on top of the aggravated horse.
    "What do I do now?" He asked, turning to Dilandau for guidance.
    "Hang on tight…" Dilandau replied.
    "Why would I…? **AUGH**!" Dilandau slapped the horse on the behind and it galloped off into the distance.
    "**DILANDAU**!"
    "That's Dilandau-SAMA, to you!" The Adonis smirked, riding off after the terror-stricken horse and boy.
    ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
    Millerna stared at the sky, watching the clouds pass. Birds flew by their mates, towards Basram, where they would stay, away from Asturia's chilly winter.
    "I should be having kids by now…" She groaned, knowing how worried her father was about her and Asturia's well being.
    "But I need to be with someone I love… I wish Dryden could see that I…" Her thought went unfinished as she saw the familiar merchant.
    "Princess Millerna!" He called, running out to her. He was dressed in his usual robes, his tinted glasses reflecting the sunlight.
    "Yes, Dryden? What is it?" She asked softly, standing up.
    "You know how we were discussing your marriage problems?" Dryden asked.
    "I do **not** have marriage problems!" She replied stubbornly, enraged that he thought she could not find a suitable husband.
    "Sure." Dryden nodded sarcastically as she gave him an angry look.
    "Why don't we have try-outs for you to find your husband?  
    
    "Dryden… No… I will not have "try-outs" for my soul mate…" Millerna rolled her eyes in annoyance.
    "Hey! I'm just trying to help! Look, There's this one guy, his name's Tsumari. He's a friend of mine. He's a nice guy and handsome too."
    "And why should this interest me, Dryden?" She raised her eyebrows skeptically.
    "Because, he's here to meet you right…" He looked at the sundial.
    "Now. Goodbye." He dashed off as a boy about her age walked in. He had dark brown hair and light blue eyes. He was very muscular and was handsome. He smiled at her.
      
    
    "Princess Millerna?" He asked politely.
    "Yes. And you are… Tsumari?" She asked hesitantly.
    "Yes. I've come because Dryden said you're looking for someone to court you. You are very beautiful. It would be a great honor." He kissed her hand softly.
    "I'm sorry Tsumari. But… I can't… You see… I…" She leaned over and whispered in his ear for a minute. His eyes widened and he nodded.
    "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was like that. Congratulations. Dryden will be a very happy man." He shook her hand, before walking away, smiling at her over his shoulder.
    "Oh… I don't know…" She muttered, rubbing her stomach for reassurance before heading back inside, wondering if she could ever tell him that she…
    ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
      
    
    "Princess… You're crying…" Allen whispered, brushing a tear from her cheek with his stainless white glove.
    "No… No I'm not… I promised myself…" Eries muttered, looking away.
    "What?" He asked softly.
      
    
    "After the trial… When father disowned me… When I lost the crown…" She whispered, bowing her head, a single tear running down her cheek.
    "You are crying." He murmured softly, looking at her in concern.
    "It's just that… I didn't kill Mother… It wasn't my fault… I don't deserve this kind of fate…" She whispered.
    "I know…" He consented.   
    
      
    
    "But no one believes me… It's been 18 years… Why won't they forgive me?" She asked softly.
      
    
    "They won't forgive you because there's nothing for them to forgive you for. You did nothing." He muttered, his eyes closed in thought.
      
    
    "But THEY don't believe that! I was going to be queen someday… Queen of Asturia…" She turned to gaze out the window as the sun set, casting faint hues against the glass.
    "I remember…" Allen murmured softly, gazing at the forgotten princess in sadness.
    _** Flashback **
    "The Royal House of Asturia has accused Princess Eries Rachel Aston of the highest level of betrayal. She is accused of being the murderer of Queen Therese Gladys Aston, our late queen of Asturia." A man said, bowing his head in morn over the loss of the beloved queen, who's picture hung above the judge's bald head.
    "Bring in the princess…" The judge croaked, gulping down some of the water in his glass.
    The tall wooden doors creaked open, and two burly guards stepped forward. Each held a pike it their hand and were pointing it at a shadow. The spectators leaned forward to see what it was and were shocked and horrified when they saw the bloody feet of the small princess drag along a pair of heavy shackles as she entered. Her hair had gone unbrushed for several days and her face was covered in dirt. She wore a torn black frock, in morn for her mother's passing. Dark circles lined her eyes and she had a haunted look. Like she was waking up from a bad dream. Perhaps she was.
    "Is that the Princess?" A woman whispered to her wife, her eyes widening.
    "She looks like a ragamuffin."
    "An urchin."
    "A common thief."  
    
    "So we're in agreement."
    "Why isn't she wearing decent clothing?"
    "Queen Therese would roll over in her grave if she saw this!"  
    
    "Where is the poor dear's shoes?"
    "This is an act against God!"
    "Why is she in shackles?!"
    "She's a little girl, not a convict!"
    "This is ridiculous!"
    "Someone needs to stop this right now!"  
    
    "Oh Dicha, the powerful, the mighty! Have mercy on our souls!"
    "This is a disgrace for Asturia!"
    "The King is a damned fool!" The crowd began to yell in protest, demanding the girl be set free.
    "SILENCE IN THE COURT!" The judge barked.
    "She may LOOK like a mistreated little girl! But REALLY, she's a DANGEROUS MURDERER!" He continued to rant, as everyone continued to be unconvinced.
    He was interrupted when they heard a small sound.
    "Please. Just let me go home…" The child whispered, tears rolling down her dirt-stained cheeks as the people began to feel pity and anger on her behalf.
    A guard whispered into the judge's ear. The judge nodded in gratitude.
    "My Lords and Ladies. The king is here." Everyone dropped to their knees, even Eries, sobbing as she did so.
    "For Mother…" She murmured, closing her eyes so he wouldn't see that she was crying.
    "So this is the little wench I raised! Ain't so high and mighty now, are you, **princess**?" The king asked softly in a mocking tone.
    "Daddy… I want to go home…" She whispered.
    "Please just take me home…" Then she collapsed, as her father sneered at her. Allen ran over to her, shaking her, asking her if she was all right before the guards took her away, and he watched helplessly by his mother's side.
    Eries woke up days later to find that she had half-won the trial. She would not be executed or be cast-out of her family. But she would never become Queen. Never. This was her fate and the cause of her tears for the rest of her unhappy life.
    ** Backflash **
    _
    "Princess Eries… I…" He said softly, telling she was remembering as well.
    "Please…" She whispered, her tears going unchecked.
    "Please just leave me alone… I… I can't love anymore… I… can't… I'm sorry… I regret…" She turned and ran down the hall as Allen watched her silently, noticing a flower that had fallen from the book she had been carrying.
    "If I remember correctly, the name of this flower means, "One who cannot be forgotten"…" He muttered absently, walking down the hallway silently, thinking of the forgotten princess.
    ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
    "Win dain a lotica
    En val tu ri
    Si lo ta
    Fin dein a loluca
    En dragu a sei lain
    Vi fa-ru les shutai am
    En riga-lint
    Win chent a lotica
    En val turi
    Silota
    Fin dein a loluca
    Si katigura neuver
    Floreria for chesti
    Si entina
    Lalala…
    Fontina Blu Cent
    De cravi esca letisimo
    Lalala…
    De quantian
    La finde reve
    Win dain a lotica
    En vai tu ri
    Si lo ta
    Fin dein a loluca
    En dragu a sei lain
    Vi fa-ru les shutai am
    En riga-lint…" Akai sang softly as they trudged through the deep forest.
    "Not that you aren't good, but Van looks like he's ready to kill you…" Rhum nudged the catwoman in warning.
    "Hitomi's gone. Yes, it's bad. I know it. What will me singing harm?" Akai muttered nonchalantly.
    "I dunno… Maybe he thinks that mutant cat who took Hitomi is afraid of noise or something and won't return her unless we all are as silent as the wind…" Rhum murmured sarcastically.
    "I doubt she'd bring her back if we stopped breathing altogether." Akai replied in annoyance.
    "Oh whatever. That's Van for you. Let's just stay out of his way. I'm sure we'll figure out where that psycho stalker went anytime now."
    "You're lying, aren't you?"
    "Through my teeth…" Rhum replied.
    "You know I can hear you back there." Van called behind him as the two sweatdropped nervously.
    "We'll find her. I'm sure she's right under our noses!" He then crashed into someone as they fell from the sky.
    "Or, she could have been hiding in a tree…" Rhum sweatdropped as Sa-Sa and Kii-Kii walked over to blink in puzzlement.
    "Hitomi?" Van asked in confusion and bewilderment as the girl sat up, rubbing her head.
    "Hey! I'm back!" She grinned widely.
    "But… How?" Van asked, scratching his head in confusion.
    "Well you see, that Tsuto, despite her dazzling good looks is a **REAL **wimp! She was doing that tree leaping thing and I kicked her really hard and she's lying somewhere out there unconscious. I couldn't get out of the tree and I didn't know where I was. Then I saw you guys, and kinda got over excited and leaped from the tree and sorta landed on you." She quickly explained.
    "That was strangely resourceful…" Akai said in awe.
    "I'm glad you're alright, Hitomi. I'm surprised you're here, but I'm glad." He smiled, kissing her softly. They broke apart, smiling at each other.
      
    
    "Shall we go?" Hitomi asked, much too happily for someone who'd just been kidnapped.
    "Why not?" Van agreed, as everyone mounted their horses and they headed down the northern road.
    

Akai was confused. First, Hitomi was kidnapped, then they looked for Hitomi, then Hitomi somehow beat up her captor and somehow managed to return to them within an evening. Something wasn't right. She suddenly lifted her head to sniff the air. There was a strange smell wafting in the breeze. It was the smell of… She sniffed the air again. A demon? No… It couldn't be… There hadn't been one in this area for years… Could it really be a…? She sniffed the air again. She bowed her head in acknowledgement. It was a Katachi Youkai.

"A Shape Demon…" She whispered so softly no one else in the group could hear her. It was close. It was… She turned in Van's direction and her senses went wild with the smell of demon.

"Oh Ragu… Protect us…" She whispered. For she was looking at the girl riding behind Van. The girl with green eyes and light brown hair. This girl was **not** Hitomi Kanzaki.

A/N: Ooh… I'm sure you just LOVED that one… Hehe… Anyways… Big plans ahead, I think I'm gonna crank out another five chapters and then it'll probably be finished. We've got a few more twists and turns and what's the deal with "Hitomi"? And what is a Shape Demon (Katachi Youkai)? Find out in the next edition of WD! **Read and Review! **Arigatou and Sayonara! ^_^  


~Trunks Gal~


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